


Of Zombies And Meet-Cutes

by TheOneAndOnlyMegan



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Cannibalism, Drinking, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, POV Third Person, Some Humor, Underage Drinking, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25449100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOneAndOnlyMegan/pseuds/TheOneAndOnlyMegan
Summary: After Clarke wakes up in the waiting room of a hospital, she discovers the world isn't quite how she remembers it. Namely, there are now zombies roaming the streets, and the wold's gone to shit.Might be better than it sounds, why don't you try it and find out?*Title Credit To:TheDuchessUnseen
Relationships: Abby Griffin & Clarke Griffin, Anya & Lexa & Lincoln (The 100), Anya & Lexa (The 100), Anya & Lincoln (The 100), Anya/Raven Reyes, Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Finn Collins/Clarke Griffin, Lexa & Lincoln (The 100), Octavia Blake & Clarke Griffin, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 107
Kudos: 754





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I'm back! Yay...did you miss me? Did you forget I existed? Yeah, me too. Anyway, idk where I was going with my others works and when or if I'll get back to them. Not sure how consistent I'll be with this one either. My life is kinda in shambles right now and the inspiration for this just kinda hit me. Who knows. As you can see I don't have a title yet, suggestions are welcome and I'll credit you for coming up with something I like. So, (wow this brings back memories) Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! If you'd like to contact me, my Insta is @theoneandonlymegan. If you dm me, please say something that lets me know you're from AO3 and not someone trying to ask for you-know-what-kind-of-pictures and whatnot. Thanks! Enjoy!

Clarke blinked slowly. There was a throbbing-no,  _ pounding _ -in her head that made her eyes water and her mouth dry. With a groan, the blonde lifted her head, wincing at the ringing the action created in her ears. 

“Fucking  _ shit _ .” 

Bright fluorescent lights blurred her vision further as she lifted a shaking hand to her forehead. Sucking in a sharp inhale of breath, Clarke braced herself for whatever she might find stuck to her hand after her fingers became coated in a sticky substance. 

Whatever the blonde had been expecting to find she couldn’t say, but  _ blood _ certainly wasn’t it. 

“What the hell?” she breathed out, almost a whisper. Carefully standing from the tile floor, everything started coming back to her as the ringing began to fade and the pounding started to subside to a dull throb. 

The radio warning. The emergency news. The panicked reporters. The confused medical staff. Her friends texting her or calling while she sat in the waiting room chairs. Her mother pacing. Her father’s surgery. 

It was supposed to have been a simple procedure. One the doctor said he had performed many times. Clarke remembered her mother arguing that she be the one to perform the partial nephrectomy, and the doctors telling her it wasn’t allowed. Then there had been the radio interruption, the cheesy pop song that had seemed too upbeat and peppy to Clarke at the time being replaced with an announcer claiming that everyone needed to ‘get inside and lock their doors immediately’ as bomb-like projectiles had been spotted coming towards the U.S. Someone else, a middle-aged man, had turned on the nearest television to the news, only for the same message to be relayed. 

Get inside. Lock your doors. Get underground if you could. The United States was under attack. 

Then the ground shook as the first “bombs” fell and the lights flickered before falling out of the ceiling entirely. One had hit Clarke in the head and now she was here. Alone. In a hospital waiting room, with no idea of how long she had been out. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minimal editing was done by yours truly who only half paid attention while skimming through what I wrote. You're welcome.

“Mom!” Clarke yelled as loud as she could. The floor was fissured, and the lights were hanging from the ceiling, but a pile of rubble where the floor above them had collapsed blocked off the other half of the waiting room. “Mom! Mom are you there? Hello? Is anyone there! Please!” 

Yelling until her throat was raw and her voice broke, Clarke finally turned and started walking down the hallway leading from her side of the room to the rest of the hospital. She knew what she would find, and tried to brace herself for it while making her way to the room her father was supposedly being operated in. On the way, she stopped to smash the glass of an emergency fire ax case, brandishing the tool like it was the only thing between her and whatever else was in this hospital with her. Reaching her father’s room, Clarke tried the handle and almost cried in relief when the door swung open. Her joy was short-lived however, when she laid eyes on the disgusting  _ creature _ that currently had its head latched onto her father’s head. 

The  _ thing  _ faintly resembled a human, but only in the sense that it looked fleshy and held a similar shape. Everything else resembled something like a monster from a comic book. 

From its head a piece of ceiling tile stuck out at an odd angle, blood still oozed sluggishly from the wound and coated the side of the thing’s head. Its eyes were milky and white, without iris or pupil. Instead of being pinky and warm, its skin held more of a bluish-grey tone and seemed to be pulled taut against the thing’s bones. 

Clarke gave out a horrible screech before dropping the ax and slamming the door shut behind her. Sliding down onto the floor, the blonde covered her eyes and sobbed out the tears that had been threatening to spill since she woke up. How had this happened? How had her life gotten to this moment?

Taking a few deep breaths, Clarke tried to calm herself. Thinking more clearly, the blonde realized she left the ax-her only weapon-in the room with the  _ thing _ and what was left of her father. Frankly, she didn’t want to have to see either ever again, and had just made the decision to abandon the ax when a thud sounded on the door behind her. 

Jumping to her feet, Clarke’s hands flew to the handle to keep the door from opening and begrudgingly looked through the tiny rectangular window of the door. Milky white eyes stared blankly back at her before the thing slammed its head into the window, mouth open, leaving behind bloody saliva on the glass. 

“Fuck!” 

Looking to her left Clarke watched in frozen horror as another one of the  _ things  _ emerged from a room down the hall, this one wearing a pink blouse and ripped skinny jeans. It was only then that Clarke jerked her head around to see what attire the creature in front of her was wearing. Outfitted in blue scrubs, it wasn’t hard to tell that this was the doctor that had been operating on her father. A moan sounded from deeper down in the hallway, and Clarke watched in horror as a group of three creatures joined the one in the pink blouse. One wearing a nurse's uniform while the others all had civilian clothes. Without putting much thought into it, Clarke turned and bolted back the way she came, running as fast as she could past the front desk and towards the entrance of the hospital. It was only when the blonde made it down a flight of stairs did she stop to think about grabbing medical supplies. Luckily for her, she had wandered the halls of this building many times with her mother as a child and knew the floor plan like she knew the layout of her own house. Taking a left and going away from the exit, Clarke ran to the first storage room and stuffed one of the emergency duffel bags full of anything she could get her hands on. When she turned around, two of the things from before were standing in the doorway, their hands reaching out as if trying to grab her. 

With a terrified scream, Clarke swung the duffel bag at the first thing, sending it to the floor. Advancing on her, the second creature tripped on its fallen comrade and landed on Clarke. With a scream that was equal parts terrified and disgusted, Clarke shoved the thing off of her and out the door, before taking off towards the exit with her bag clutched tightly in her shaking hands. Once she was out of the hospital, Clarke kept running until it felt like her lungs were going to burst and her legs were going to melt off of her. 

“Damn...I’m not...in-in shape,” she panted, doubling over and trying to catch her breath. Between gulps of air that Clarke was sure made her resemble something of a fish the blonde could faintly make out the sounds of moans and a shuffling like drag coming from behind her. Standing up straight again and trying not to fall over because the action made her lightheaded, Clarke was shocked to see  _ more  _ of the creature-things shambling down the road towards her. However, amongst the fleshy toned things similar to the ones Clarke had experienced in the hospital were a few of the creatures that appeared almost  _ green _ . 

“What the hell?” Before she could think about it too much something hard and solid slammed into her and sent her sprawling to the ground. “Ow! What the fuck?” 

“Sorry! C’mon, we gotta move if you wanna stay alive!” 

Above her was a boy who looked to be her age with shaggy brown hair and puppy-dog eyes. Glancing behind him, Clarke could make out roughly three more of the things stumbling down the alley the boy had come from. 

“C’mon! I said we gotta move!” he cried, breaking through her thoughts. A hand thrust itself in front of her face, taking it, Clarke quickly found herself being pulled roughly to her feet and being dragged along as the boy broke into a run. Just as Clarke felt she was going to pass out or have her arm ripped off, the boy stopped and pulled her into a convenience store behind him. Once the door shut behind the pair, the boy grabbed two display racks that had been positioned next to the door and barricaded the door. 

“Check the back!” he called, running over to the nearest moveable shelf and putting it against the door too. 

Without question Clarke turned and walked briskly to the back of the store, operating more on adrenaline and instinct than anything else at this point. Mimicking the boy’s actions, Clarke grabbed a folding chair from what she assumed had been a break room and positioned it under the handle of the back door. After clicking the lock, the blonde made her way back out to the main part of the store, all the while clutching her bag like a lifeline. 

Appearing beside her, the boy offered her a bottle of water before beginning to chug one of his own. Once he had downed more than half of the bottle, he spoke, “Y’know, that was pretty ballsy to go into that hospital on your own. Tell me, did you at least get some good supplies out of it? Usually those places are hotspots for the living and undead alike.” 

Clarke made a face, “Undead as in...zombies? You’ve got to be kidding me…”

For the first time, Clarke noticed the boy’s shirt had a nametag pinned to the front. A quick look around the store confirmed that this was where he must have worked. 

_ Finn _ .

He seemed nice enough, or at least he certainly looked the part. Big, kind eyes, fuller lips for a guy, clean-shaven, not so much a baby face but one that certainly wasn’t as chiseled as her friend Ballamy’s or Wells’. 

“Well...yeah I guess, unless you’ve got another name for creepy undead things that look like people and try to eat you?” Though he said it like a joke, it didn’t seem all that funny in their current situation. After a beat, Finn turned to the shelf behind him and grabbed a bag of chips, pulling them open and stuffing a few into his mouth before talking again, “So Princess, what  _ were  _ you doing all alone? And what’s in the bag?” As if an afterthought, he smiled boyishly, “My name’s Finn by the way, Finn Collins. Shame we had to meet this way, I’d like to think that before all this I might’ve offered to take you out for a drink sometime?” 

Even though the world seemed to have gone to shit around her, Clarke found her new companion and savior charming in a way that made her smile and blush despite herself. 

“I’m Clarke, nice to meet you. And...thank you for saving me back there. I just woke up in the hospital today, I think a light knocked me out or something. How long has all this been going on?” 

A shocked look came about Finn’s face, “You only  _ just _ woke up? Damn Clarke, that light must have really hit you hard if you’ve been out for the last three days!”

Clarke couldn’t believe her ears, “Three days?” How hard had that light hit her? 

“Yeah, everything’s gone to hell since those bombs or whatever fell. The first day, nothing happened. The second day some people started getting sick, coughing up this black stuff. The third day those things started appearing on the streets and attacking people.” 

Trying to keep herself from having a panic attack, Clarke attempted to breathe in and out slowly while collecting her thoughts, “Is the government doing anything about it? Do we have any idea where the bombs  _ came  _ from?” 

Finn rubbed the back of his neck, turning and placing the bag of chips on a nearby countertop before walking down one of the aisles in the middle of the store. “Well, that’s the thing. I heard that the bombs reportedly came from right here, our own damn country. As for what the government’s doing, well, they haven’t  _ done  _ anything yet...and I don’t think they will. I mean, here we are, two highschool kids locked up in a convenience store hiding from zombies. What  _ can  _ they do?” 

“So the bombs hit everywhere then? Is nowhere safe?” 

Finn shrugged, appearing at the end of an aisle holding two blankets and a few candles as well as a box of matches. “I’m not sure. I haven’t left this place since this all started. A lot of people left town and many of those ghouls followed them, so I figured here was just as safe as anywhere else.” 

“But what about your family? Don’t you want to try and find them?” 

A sad look crossed over the boy’s features as he started spreading the blankets out on a bare patch of floor, “They were on a two-week cruise when all this started. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that they’re either dead or I’m never going to see them again.” 

Coming over and placing a hand on his shoulder, Clarke felt a pang of sympathy, “I’m sorry I brought it up. I don’t know where my mom is either. My dad...well I found him getting mauled by one of those... _ things _ .” Finn surprised her by standing up and wrapping her in a tight hug, gently pressing her face into his shoulder as he wasn’t much taller than herself. 

“Well, at least we have each other, right? I could think of worse company that a beautiful blonde girl to have in a situation like this.” 

Clarke smiled, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” 

It had been two days since Finn first rescued her, and Clarke was starting to feel the cabin fever set in. They hadn’t left the convenience store and the blonde was starting to get tired of playing crosswords and sudoku. She’d tried drawing a few times on napkins and spare pieces of paper, but with the knowledge of everything that was going on around them, she couldn’t find anything worth drawing. A little after eating what had to have been one of the worst frozen pizzas of her life, Finn came up to where she was sitting in the breakroom, attempting to doodle something that wasn’t one of the  _ things _ outside or a still life featuring a salt and pepper shaker. 

“Hey Princess, whatcha drawing?” 

Clarke shrugged, sitting up and sliding her doodle of the nearby vending machine to him. “I call this one, ‘The Refresher,’ pretty ingenious, I know.” 

He laughed, “Hey, it’s better than anything  _ I _ could ever do, so that’s got to count for something, right?” 

Though it didn’t  _ exactly  _ cheer her up, Clarke appreciated his effort, “Yeah, I guess.” 

After a beat where Finn stared at her silently, the boy looked away nervously and spoke. “Say, how about you let me treat you to something special tonight eh? Kinda like...a date I guess.” 

Looking up at the boy across from her, Clarke couldn’t say she was surprised by the question. For the past few days, they had flirted back and forth and caught each other staring more than a few times. What really surprised her, however, was the inability to tell how she  _ felt  _ about said question. Normally, when a boy asked her out she had an answer ready, either a “yes” or a “no.” But then again, she wasn’t normally being asked out in the middle of an actual apocalypse. It wasn’t that she  _ wasn’t  _ attracted to Finn, with his boyish features, good manners, and kind eyes. It’s just...he wasn’t all that...special. He just seemed like any other boy-next-door kind of guy. Nothing like the usual troublemakers or heathens Clarke normally dated. But...but maybe a change of pace was what she needed. All of her previous relationships had ended in horribly spectacular blowouts, so maybe someone like Finn would be good for her. Maybe they could be good for each other. And, who was Clarke to turn down a date from possibly one of the last nice humans remaining on Earth? 

“Y’know Finn, that actually sounds really nice.” 

Jerking his head back to look at her, Clarke felt her heart stutter at joy slowly blooming across his features. With his eyes light up, Finn excitedly jumped up from his chair, “Awesome! You’re not going to regret this!” 

At around five ‘o clock, Clarke found herself being led from behind into the main area of the convenience store. With Finn’s hand covering her eyes, the blonde held her arms out in front of her to keep from running into anything. “Finn, c’mon, lemme see already!” Her voice came out as a giggle and a laugh, already feeling much lighter than she had hours ago. 

“Alright, alright, here. Stand here and keep your eyes closed, okay? I want it to be a surprise.” 

After a moment she felt Finn remove his hand from her eyes before walking away completely. There were a few shuffles before his voice sounded from the empty space in front of her. “Okay, you can open them now.” 

In front of her, Finn sat on a blanket on the ground behind two steaming bowls of instant ramen and two opened bottles of beer. In front of the blanket was the computer from behind the cash counter, with a few cheesy movie cases stacked next to it. Smiling, Clarke took a seat next to Finn and gratefully accepted one of the bowls he handed her. 

“This is nice, thank you.” 

He smiled, his eyes soft and features open, “Sorry it’s nothing fancier, but uh, well, zombie apocalypse and all.” Laughing, the two began to eat their bowls of ramen while one of the crappy movies droned on in the background.

Eventually, the two laid down side-by-side on the blankets, the laptop balanced carefully on Finn’s lap, and Clarke’s head resting on his shoulder. The arm Finn had behind his head slowly made its way around Clarke’s shoulder’s and Clarke felt herself growing antsy with the contact. 

It had been a while since she’d last slept with someone, and while she knew someone or some _ thing  _ could come busting in on them at any moment, the thought alone wasn’t enough to stop her from imagining his arms holding her closer, his hands moving lower than just the tops of her shoulders. Sighing into his ear, she felt the way he shivered under her, felt the way his legs tensed next to her own. 

“Clarke,” he whispered, before turning and looking into her eyes. Staring back, Clarke saw the same antsy excitement she felt mirrored in his dark eyes. And then he was kissing her, and rolling so that he was on top and she was pinned beneath him. Kissing him back, Clarke ran her hands up and down the sides of his arms, snaking around his neck and gently running down his shoulder blades. 

As their kissing grew more intense, the air around them seemed to be getting warmer with every panted breath until Clarke found herself pushing Finn off of her and taking off her shirt. Thankfully, he got the message and once Clarke had freed herself from her basic American Eagle tee she was able to feel Finn’s skin on her own. Growing bold, Finn ran his hands up from her hips to roughly cup her breasts, burying his face in her chest and tickling her deliciously with a moan. 

“God, Clarke…” 

Clarke was no fool, she knew her breasts drew the eye of many a boy, and Finn was just like the others had been before him. Rough, pushy, taking her in their hands and squeezing with large, clunky hands. Kissing down her chest and to her stomach, Finn only paused long enough to undo the button on her skinny jeans and pull down his own pants. 

“Wait,” Clarke panted, her mind hazy and struggling to form rational thought, but she was coherent enough to stop things before they went too far. “C’mon, we’re in a gas station, there’s a condom somewhere…” 

For a moment Finn looked angry, something dark and brooding flashing through his eyes so quick Clarke almost missed it. Then he not so gently pushed away from her and went over to a shelf a few feet away. Without much thought or preamble, he grabbed what Clarke hoped was a good-quality condom, before returning to his previous position between her legs. 

Slipping it on himself, Finn loomed over her predatorily, “Better now Princess?” 

For all his kindness before this new side of Finn was not what Clarke had been anticipating, but, maybe that was just how nice boys were. Everyone had to have their darker moments, she supposed, maybe his was control in the bedroom. She felt she couldn’t fault him for that. 

“Y-yeah I’m….I’m good, keep going.” 

He smiled, “Alrighty Princess.” 

The first thing Clarke’s brain registered was an odd shuffling sound. Somehow it managed to both sound wet and like whatever it was was scraping itself as it moved. With her eyes still shut, the blonde tried rolling over only to find the space beside her empty. Furrowing her brows, she could have sworn Finn was right next to her...then the smell hit it. Dank, rotting, and  _ dead _ . 

Sitting bolt right up, Clarke clutched the blanket draped overtop of her to her chest as she came face to face with one of the things from outside. It was missing one of its legs from the knee down, and the bone protruding from what was left had caused the scraping sound she had heard earlier. Blood sluggishly oozed from the would, a deep dark red that unsettled the blonde. 

“Finn!” she screamed, hurriedly backing away from the creature looming above her. Desperately reaching out to her sides Clarke managed to grab her shirt and pants before the thing attempted to grab her. Deciding she could forgo her underthings, Clarke got up as quick as she could and ran to the break room where she had left her duffel bag the day before. Upon entering the room, the only thing that greeted her was open cabinets and an empty mini-fridge. Standing for a moment in shock, Clarke could barely process what must have happened. 

Finn had left. 

Finn had slept with her, taken her supplies, and left while she was still asleep. He must have either left the door open or not bothered to shut them and those…. _ things  _ had wandered in. 

Rushing to put her few remaining clothes back on, Clarke hurried to the back door to find it wide open, the chair resting casually against the wall. 

“Dammit!” Running out, Clarke turned right and ran out of the alleyway onto the sidewalk, looking both ways, she did a double-take when she spotted a figure walking away from her on the left. 

Dumbly, she shouted, “Finn!” At the sound of her voice, the boy looked over his shoulder before sprinting further away from her. Gritting her teeth in a grimace, Clarke sped off after him. Somehow, the blonde managed to catch up to him and before she could think about what she was doing she was throwing her body onto his own, sending them both to the ground. 

“Ow, Clarke, what the hell?” 

A fury Clarke had never felt before was raging inside her, and she felt no shame in letting it slip out. “‘What the hell?’ ‘What the hell?,’ what do you mean, ‘What the hell’! You’re the one who slept with me and then ran off with my stuff, leaving me defenseless against those things while I was asleep!”

Grunting, Finn managed to shove her off of him, “Go to hell blondie! But hey, thanks for the lay!” Just as he was turning to start running again, her bag still clutched in his hand, a loud bang ran out against the otherwise quiet street. Ten feet in front of her, Clarke watched with her mouth hung open as Finn dropped to the ground and stopped moving. 

“W-what?” 

Frantically looking to the left and right Clarke scanned the rooftops, desperately trying to identify the source and worriedly hoping she wasn’t next. She just barely managed to catch a glimpse of a dark figure ducking down behind the upper wall of a rooftop nearby before groans coming from behind her drew her attention elsewhere. In a mad dash of hope, Clarke got to her feet, ran over to Finn’s side to grab her bag, before sprinting down the side of the street in an attempt to reach the edge of the city. 

Just barely managing to reach the edge of the city before nightfall, Clarke ducked into another gas station store and slid down the door behind her. Exhausted, sweaty, tired, and hungry, Clarke couldn’t convince herself to be bothered with checking the inside of the store for any more of those... _ things _ . Now that she had stopped moving, Clarke’s mind began to run through everything that had happened to her today. Everything from almost becoming breakfast for a zombie to Finn leaving her, to then chasing him down the street only to be aided by an unknown sniper from a rooftop. While the brisk and seemingly uneventful way Finn’s life had so casually been taken startled her and brought tears to her eyes, it didn’t stop her from wondering why she wasn’t dead too. Why the sniper had just shot him and not her. Surely if they were willing to shoot one teenager in broad daylight they were willing to shoot another. But what had stopped them? Had they run out of ammunition? Had they seen the zombie behind her and thought that if they shot Finn then it would kill her? 

Whatever the reason, Clarke silently thanked whatever deity or deities may or may not be out there before drifting into a light sleep. 


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, I'm back. Not too much happens in this chapter but I think there's someone Clarke meets who might make up for that? Maybe? Anyway, I'm hoping to write this more as a slow burn but to be honest I'm ready to write some action! Nevertheless, I hope this short chapter is okay. As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! If you need me, or you just want to say HI, my Instagram is @theoneandonlymegan, feel free to dm me, but please specify in your first message that you're from here that way I know to respond. Also, I usually read anything sent to me on here, and most of the time I reply. Have a great day! :)

When Clarke awoke the next evening her body made it known that it was displeased with her decision to fall asleep in a sitting position on the floor as the crook in her neck made her feel like her head was a bowling ball placed on top of a sewing needle. 

“Uhhhggg…” the blonde groaned, standing from the floor. The lights in the store were still on, probably having remained on since this all had started. Walking down the first aisle, Clarke marveled at the empty shelves and coolers. The only things that remained on the shelves were empty chip bags or candy wrappers, random pages from newspapers, or other suburban trash. It was a strange sight, to say the least. Everything was still on and running, continuing to do its job though it had no reason to.

The blonde tried not to let that thought taint her morality with how much it could be applied to her own life. 

Turning down the next aisle, Clarke stifled a gasp when she found a puddle of blood and a few bloodied rags. Darting her eyes around the room, Clarke quickly searched for the source of the fluid before she noticed the color. Instead of a bright red, the blood was dark maroon, almost brown-ish black. It also appeared to be dry and caked onto the floor, not shiny or glossy in the slightest. Releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Clarke reasoned-or  _ hoped _ rather-that whoever had left the blood was long gone by now. Deciding not to hang around long enough to find out Clarke speed walked to the break room and looked for anything useful. The only things she had managed to find within the entire store were a box of matches, some plastic forks, and an opened bottle of coconut water behind the counter. The last of which she decided to leave where it was. 

Making the walk the rest of the way down the street, Clarke paused next to the ‘Now Leaving Cumberland’ sign and looked back at the town. Somewhere out there her mother was possibly still looking for her. Controversially, the blonde also thought  _ ‘Somewhere out there my mother could also be lying dead under a pile of rocks. Or worse, she could be one of those...one of those  _ **_things_ ** _.’ _ With a final sigh, the blonde turned and left the streets of Maryland, heading towards the woods of West Virginia. Walking along the banks of a small river, Clarke bent down to splash water on her face. Looking to the sky, she decided to go ahead and make camp for the night, as she’d rather not be wandering around in the dark with those monsters on the loose.  _ ‘Yeah Clarke, because not calling them  _ **_zombies_ ** _ will totally make them something else.’ _

Kneeling under the base of a tree, Clarke took out the pack of matches from her back pocket. Gathering some small sticks and twigs from the base of the trunk around her, Clarke paused just before striking the match.  _ ‘Wait, do I  _ **_really_ ** _ want to be lighting a  _ **_fire_ ** _ in the middle of July?’  _ The heat was already making Clarke’s shirt and pants stick to her uncomfortably, was a fire really necessary? Not only would the fire cause extra heat, but it could also draw unwanted attention to her position. 

Deciding to forgo the fire, the blonde put the matches back in her pocket before resting her head on the duffel bag from the hospital and attempting to go to sleep. 

The next morning the blonde woke up sweaty and breathing hard. In her dreams, she had not outrun the ghoul from the hospital but had instead been chased by it. Trying to shake it off, the blonde took a couple of sips from the river before taking out her phone. Though it had almost no battery, the blonde was still able to pull up the map app and get her bearings. Deciding that Ridgeley was the next closest town, the blonde oriented herself towards the bridge that connected the towns and began walking towards it. 

To pass the time while she walked, Clarke thought about what she might find in the next town over. Would it be better off? Just as bad? Worse? The questions rattled around in her head so loudly the Clarke didn’t hear the groans until they were practically next to her ear.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath. Turning to look behind her, Clarke could just make out the four or five figures stumbling their way towards her. The two closest to her looked absolutely horrible and the smell their greenish flesh emitted was downright rancid. Picking up the pace, Clarke started walking quicker, careful not to slip on any of the slippery river rocks by the waters' edge. After about twenty minutes of walking, Clarke stumbled out of some underbrush to find herself standing along the road leading towards Ridgeley. Hearing another lazy groan from somewhere behind her the blonde jumped out onto the street, and cautiously made her way towards the new town. The first few houses looked to have been completely ransacked already. Busted windows, broken doors, trash littered all over porches that once must have been the perfect place to sit in the early morning and watch the town wake up around you. Walking down the street, Clarke found it eerie just how empty the place was. As if reading her mind, the groans sounded again from behind her and Clarke turned around to angrily glare at the creature following her. 

“Ugh, really? Can’t you all just get lost already!” Though she saw their heads turn towards her in acknowledgment, they didn’t answer her. Turning back towards the houses in front of her, Clarke marched over to the nearest one and picked up the broken mailbox at the end of the driveway. “Okay Clarke, just like softball. Don’t be afraid, it’s just like softball…” Trying to calm herself, the blonde closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath before squaring her stance. Just as the first zombie was moving its arm to grab her, a brown blob flung itself at the creature, knocking it to the ground in a heap of snarls and growls. The sudden motion distracted the other four zombies, an opportunity which Clarke took to bash two of their heads in with her mailbox. Having finished off the first zombie, the brown blob-which Clarke now realized was a dog, turned to finish off the other two remaining zombies. 

Clarke stood in shock as the dog raised its head to look at her and began wagging its tail. Barking once, the dog lessened the distance between them until it stood at her feet looking up at her. Smiling, the blonde sent a quick thanks to wherever being had decided to have mercy on her, before bending down to scratch the dog behind its ears.

“Well hello there, thank you for saving me,” she smiled at the dog. Barking excitedly in her face again, the dog licked her cheek. And while yes, the blonde  _ had  _ just watched the dog literally bite  _ into  _ a zombie just a few minutes prior, she didn’t care how gross or unsafe the action was because  _ it was a cute dog and it had just saved her. How rude would she be to tell it not to lick her? _ “Now, let’s see, do you have a name?” the blonde asked as she reached down to the red collar fastened loosely around the dog's neck. The tag hanging there gave no information about the dog’s possible owner, but instead, just read  _ “Jake.” _

The blonde felt tears in her eyes as she read the name of her now-dead father, feeling deep within her being that this wasn’t just a coincidence.

Smiling a watery smile, the blonde rubbed the dog’s head affectionately a few more times before standing. “Well Jake,” she began, looking down at the brown labrador retriever, “Would you do me the honor of being my travel partner?” Jake barked at her happily once, before bounding down the street. Hoping that she was interpreting everything correctly and that the dog wanted her to follow it, the blonde took off down the street too. “Hey! Wait up!” 

Sitting on the hard floor of a garage they had broken into, Clarke watched as Jake hungrily ate up the half of a can of beans she had dumped into a bowl for him. The other half was currently still in the can, and the blonde was eating it herself. After licking the bowl clean, Jake looked up at her and cocked his head to the side as if to ask,  _ “Any more?”  _ Sagging her shoulders in defeat, Clarke reached over and pat his head, “I’m sorry boy, the kitchen only had so many cans and we’ve gotta save some for later.” Lowing his chin to his paws, Jake seemed to whine in understanding. Clarke sighed sharply before taking what was left in her half of the can and dumping it into the metal bowl she had managed to find. “Fine, here, have mine. But just this once, okay?” Lifting his head excitedly, Clarke rolled her eyes with a smile on her face as Jake began to happily lap up the rest of the beans in his bowl, his tail wagging and stirring up the dust beneath them. 

After finishing their sorry excuse of a dinner, Clarke decided that tomorrow she would search a few more houses before attempting to make her way towards Morgantown. According to her map, it would take her a little over two days to walk the roughly 130 miles to get there. Laying down next to Jake with her head on her bag once again, Clarke closed her eyes, “Well Jake, rest up. If you’re coming with me, we’ve got quite the trek ahead of us.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I know he wasn't Lexa, but c'mon! Jake's a good pup!


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "meet-cute"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyo, what's up? How ya doin'? I was hoping to have had this chapter finished and up the same day as the previous one but that didn't happen lol. Anyway, I think some of the dialogue in this one feels a little fake or inorganic, but hopefully, y'all can just bear with me. As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! If you need me, or want to talk, my inbox is always open and I usually try to read and reply. However, you can also reach me on my Instagram @theoneandonlymegan, but if you decide to DM me please let me know that you're from this site that way I don't accidentally block you or something. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Getting up far earlier than Clarke would have in her old life, she and Jake made their way through a few houses nearest them. Fearing what might be in the more expansive areas of the town, the blonde only allowed herself to go so far into what was left of the community. 

After searching nearly twelve houses, Clarke began to reach for her back pocket where her phone was located, to check the time. As her fingers brushed the smooth corner of her case, she froze. Remembering something she couldn’t believe she forgot, the blonde looked down at her right wrist. There, staring back up at her was her father’s watch. Overcome with loss and grief, the blonde dropped her bag and sat in the middle of the road. Concerned, Jake came over and nudged her with his nose, letting out a low whine as he scanned their surroundings. 

_ “Clarke honey, I’ll be fine. It’s only going to be what, an hour at most? Right, Abs?” Jake Griffin said, turning to his wife with his easy smile and crinkled eyes.  _

_ “But Dad, what if-”  _

_ Clarke’s father put a rough finger against her lips, that same easy smile permanently etched into his kind face, and his kind eyes still shining.  _

_ “Here, tell you what, you take my watch and you can count down the hour. Right down to the last second. And, if I’m not out by then, I give you permission to storm the room and stitch me back up yourself. Alright? Sound good to you kiddo?”  _

_ She knew he was joking, but if it came down to it Clarke very much  _ was  _ capable of a few simple stitches.  _

_ “Yeah just, yeah. Alright.” Clarke tried to smile, “See you in an hour dad.”  _

At the time, while waiting for her father, Clarke had felt ridiculous. It was a very simple, routine, non-invasive surgery. People had their gallbladders removed all the time and were up and walking that same day.

Now, however, the blonde felt it was morbidly ironic how worried she had been. If her father hadn't been under sedation he might still be alive now. Hell, if he had had the surgery just a day before, the three of them could possibly be together right now. 

Jake whined again, pulling the blonde attention away from her thoughts and to the sounds around them. The sound of aimless shuffling and accompanying groans filled her ears. Sucking in a deep breath, Clarke reached out to press her forehead to Jake’s brow. “I know, I know boy. Alright, I guess that’s it for us here. Let’s go.” 

Getting up, the pair started their long trek towards the unknown. Clarke's bag was only slightly fuller than when they arrived. 

When it became too dark for Clarke to feel comfortable walking alone, even with Jake faithfully by her side, the blonde started looking for a place she and her furry companion could hide-out for the night. 

After having almost run into a group of rather intimidating people near a road, the blonde decided to stick to the treeline as much as she could. According to her phone, they weren’t even halfway to their destination. Sighing, the blonde stopped in a small clearing and turned to face Jake. 

“Well, what do you think boy? Should we camp here for the night?” 

Jake barked once before taking off into the woods. For a moment, Clarke could only stand and watch him go, fearing that this was the moment he decided to leave her before she heard a bark. Taking off in the direction Jake had gone, Clarke jogged through the woods until she came upon another clearing. Jake was sat in the middle, his tail wagging, and the brown dog barked happily when he saw her. Standing in the middle of the new Clearing, Clarke confirmed that she could no longer see the road. 

“Well, if you think this is safer,” she started, looking to Jake once again, “I’ll get us some dinner.” 

After opening a can of tuna and a bottle of water for her and Jake to share, Clarke decided to look through all the supplies she had managed to obtain. From the hospital, Clarke had managed to get a first-aid kit, a few rolls of bandages, some sewing string, a few needles, a couple of long-lasting emergency foods, a flashlight, batteries, some liquid meant for disinfecting wounds, and a few antidotes to common poisons. From the houses, she and Jake had managed to grab a few bottles of water, canned tuna, beans, instant mac ‘n cheese, green beans, canned tomatoes, a few granola bars, and a couple of cans of soup. Specifically clam chowder and vegetable beef. 

“Not too bad, but hopefully the next town will have a little more, huh boy?” But when the blonde looked over to her furry companion she saw that he was already asleep. Smiling to herself, the blonde laid down next to her sleeping friend and quickly fell asleep. 

When she awoke, Clarke found herself alone in the clearing. Her bag was still by her side, however, so she assumed Jake had just wandered off on his own accord. Deciding to wait to see if he would come back, the blonde took a few careful sips of water. After about ten minutes or so, the blonde began to grab her bag to leave when Jake bust through the treeline into the clearing. Barking happily, the lab ran over to her and began to lick her face. 

“Where the hell were you?” Clarke asked, trying to sound stern but failing as the dog continued to lick happily at her face. “Okay, okay, you win. I can’t be mad at you. But we need to go okay? If we want to hit the next town we need to get a move on.” 

Backing away from her, Jake waited patiently for the blonde to get up before following obediently on her heels as the two-headed back towards the road. 

The sun had just begun to set when the pair started to run into trouble. At first, Clarke thought it had just been the one, and that she and Jake could simply outpace it. Unfortunately, that one was part of a group of at least three others. Together, their combined noises as they followed hungrily after the pair drew the attention of other ghouls in the area until Clarke found herself chasing after Jake through the woods while the hands of a dozen or so zombies clumsily chased after her. Having abandoned her hope to stay by the road to reach the next town over, Clarke blindly followed the dog in front of her. However, the fading light made it harder and harder for her eyes to keep track of the swift brown dog amidst all the foliage. 

“Jake! Jake wait up!” Attempting to increase her speed while keeping a hold of her bag, the blonde tripped on a rock. “Ah! Shit! Fuck!” trying to right herself quickly, Clarke felt their slimy hands pulling at the material of her shirt. Finally regaining her footing, Clarke ran after the sounds of Jake’s barking, heart beating out of her chest. Just as she was passing a large tree, Clarke noticed two more ghouls emerge from the depths of the trees to join the others in their chase. However, in the next instant, Clarke felt all the wind get knocked out of her as something hard forcefully slammed into her chest before her feet were lifted off the ground. Opening her mouth to scream with whatever air she had left in her lung after hours of running, Clarke was stopped short when a hand clamped firmly over her mouth. This one, however, was warm and fleshy. Not at all like the ones that had been reaching for her earlier. Blinking rapidly to try and focus in the dark, Clarke’s eyes finally adjusted enough for her to see the figure sitting in front of her. Looking away from the confused zombies below them, the figure turned back to her, and Clarke was shocked to see intense green eyes looking back at her. Even in the dark, Clarke could tell she was sitting in front of a girl about her age. A very pretty girl at that. The figure eyed her warily before quietly asking, “Were you bit or scratched?” Clarke felt her eyes widen slightly before rapidly shaking her head ‘no.’ The last thing she wanted was for this girl, her savior, to push her out of their tree because she thought Clarke had been bitten. Nodding once sharply, the other girl looked down at the meandering ghouls below them. She held a finger to her lips until Clarke nodded her understanding. Cautiously pulling her hand away, the stranger then crouched on their shared tree branch, making virtually no sound at all. Reaching towards her hip, Clarke watched on as she stranger brandished a knife, its blade gleaming in the moonlight. Suddenly, her heart started beating fast again,  _ Surely she didn’t go through all that trouble to save me, George of the Jungle style, just to kill me...right?  _ Carefully, Clarke watched the other girl make her way further out onto the branch, so far that the blonde worried it would snap under their combined weight until she stopped. Turning back to her, Clarke watched in pure shock and the stranger  _ winked  _ before jumping out of the tree, knives pointed blade down in both hands, only for those same blades to be embedded into the skulls of two of the zombies below them. 

Spinning around quickly Clarke watched from her position in the tree as the girl pulled another knife from her belt and drove it through the susceptible skin under the monster’s chin. Reaching behind her, in one fluid motion, the girl grabbed her two knives and spun into a flying kick, knocking two of the undead to the forest floor before throwing one of her knives at another. Clarke couldn’t believe what she was seeing. All on her own and in under ten minutes this stranger had effortlessly taken down four of the twelve or thirteen zombies that had been chasing her. 

With her remaining knife, the girl finished off the two ghouls she had kicked down earlier, retrieving one of her other knives in the process, which was then thrown towards a target Clarke couldn’t see but could hear as it fell to the ground dead. 

After she had taken out all the remaining undead, Clarke heard a bark and couldn’t stop herself from calling out, “Jake!” 

Jake burst through the underbrush and the stranger spun around, dropping into a crouched fighting position with her knives held out in front of her. Clarke felt something stir in her chest. Not only had this stranger protected her from a multitude of zombies, but she was willing to actively put herself between Clarke and oncoming danger.  _ And for what? Could I seriously have been lucky enough to find the last decent human being on Earth amidst all this? Of course, I thought  _ **_Finn_ ** _ had been the last decent human being but I was wrong about him… _

But no matter how she thought about it, Clarke couldn’t convince herself that this stranger,  _ this girl _ , meant her harm. Though she couldn’t explain it, Clarke felt it deep within her that this mysterious and dangerous stranger wouldn’t deliberately harm her. 

“It’s okay! He’s with me!” Clarke called, looking for a way to get down from the tree.

Coming to a stop in front of the stranger, Jake lowered his head and ears when he saw the knives. Slowly, cautiously, the stranger lowered her outstretched arms and tentatively held out a hand for the dog to sniff. Jake, however, needed no further prompting before he launched himself towards the stranger, licking her relentlessly. 

And then Clarke heard it. 

It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. This stranger’s laugh, this girl’s laugh, was light and airy, the kind of laugh that one had when they were truly overjoyed and free of worries, even if only just for a moment. But all too soon it was over and Clarke was left awkwardly staring at the person who had just saved her life, not quite knowing what to  _ say  _ or  _ do  _ now that the danger was gone. 

“So uh....thank you...for…” Clarke trailed off as she found the stranger’s eyes and attention on her. “For um...uh saving my...my life yeah.” The blonde finished by rubbing her neck timidly. 

“You’re welcome. I have to ask though, how’d you happen to get yourself into that situation in the first place?” The stranger asked, her voice smooth and confident, with a slight accent that Clarke couldn’t quite place. _ Or maybe it's more of a drawl?  _

“Well...they just kinda...snuck up on me…” Clarke could tell the stranger was trying to keep herself from saying something potentially insulting, but thankfully for Clarke’s pride, she was able to restrain herself. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you…?”  
“Clarke!” the blonde rushed to fill in the blank left by the other girl, “My name’s Clarke, a-and that’s Jake. I found him yesterday and he’s been sticking with me since.” 

The girl smiled down at the light brown lab, “He’ll be good for you.” Turning back to face her, Clarke watched as the girl walked over, her boots making no noise despite the dead leaves underfoot. Holding her hand out to presumably help her down, the girl said, “Lexa.”

Still not  _ quite  _ caught up, Clarke could only blink and stare blankly, “What?” 

“My name, it’s Lexa,” she clarified.

Clarke felt like someone had lit a fire on her face, “OH, oh uh...that’s...it’s very...pretty.” Before she could screw up this introduction any further, Clarke took the other girl’s outstretched hand and was gently helped out of the tree. Not only was Clarke surprised by the girl’s hidden strength, but she was also surprised by the comfort she found in the roughness of her fingertips. 

“Well, it was nice meeting you Clarke,” the girl said, turning with a wave. 

The blonde felt panic rising in her chest, “Wait! You’re...you’re just leaving?” 

Stopping in the moonlight, Clarke felt her breath catch in her throat as she really  _ saw  _ the girl in front of her for the first time. She was tall, taller than herself by at least a whole head, and she was decked head to toe in what looked like military-grade gear. Long brown hair was pulled neatly back into tight, intricate braids, the ends of which fell easily to the small of her back. Even in the dark, Clarke could see the green of her eyes as clear as day. They seemed at odds with the rest of her face. While she appeared very youthful overall, the fullness of her lips and the prominence of her high cheekbones gave her an air of experience. Her eyes, however, seemed wide, open, imploring. Nothing like the serious mien she gave off. 

“Leaving? After I get my things, yes. The commotion is sure to have garnered the attention of every walker in the area.” 

“Walker?” 

The girl shrugged her off, turning towards one of the nearby trees, and pausing by it. “Another one of the many names for the zombies, ghouls, monsters. Whatever you’d like to call them.” Placing her hands on one of the lower branches, Clarke watched in awe as the other girl jumped and landed herself in the perfect pounce onto one of the branches. She disappeared out of sight for a moment, before returning with a backpack resting over her shoulders and snapped in the front. Climbing down the tree, Clarke watched the brunette do this two more times before she had collected an automatic rifle, another backpack, and what appeared to be a long sword. 

“Wow, you were really prepared for this, huh?” she tried to joke. The other girl just eyed her curiously. “Ookay, not a joker. Got it.” 

The blonde could only watch on as the brunette walked past her, her rifle slung over her shoulder, her sword fastened neatly at her hip. For a moment Clarke debated just letting her go. 

But there was something about the quiet brunette that drew her to the other girl. 

“Can...can I come with you?” the blonde hesitantly asked into the night, thankful for the darkness that prevented the other girl from seeing her blush. 

Stopping in her tracks, the brunette looked over her shoulder at the blonde. Clarke felt like her piercing green eyes were seeing right through her. Picking her apart, checking every nook and cranny of her being, analyzing her like a scientist might a new organism. 

“How do I know you won’t kill me in my sleep?” the brunette asked, “How do I know you aren’t part of a group? Waiting for us to emerge so they can kill me? How do I know you won’t take my things? Poison me? Look, Clarke, you seem nice and all but I can’t trust you. I was a cynic before the world went to hell and I’m worse now. I’m sorry, really, but I wish you the best of luck in your travels.” 

Clarke furrowed her brows, “So, what? You save me, risk your own life, and then what? Just walk away? I know you’re a good person, and I could really use an ally. And, I can offer medical experience! I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I’m not exactly the aptest (and yes, that is a word. I actually had "most apt" and then Grammarly was like, ~use this dumbass~) for zombie fighting. Hell, I only woke up from some coma three days after all this happened. I have no idea where I’m going, I don’t know if my mom is still alive but I saw one of those things, one of those  _ zombies, _ eating my dad, and then I ran into this guy my age who I  _ thought  _ was nice until we slept together and then he tried to steal all my belongings, only to wind up getting shot in the forehead by some sniper and-”

“Wait, where was this? T-the sniper? Where were you when you ran into them?” Clarke didn’t know why she was ranting, telling all this to a stranger, and why the stranger seemed so interested in the mysterious sniper of her story no less.   
“Uh, back in Cumberland, Maryland. I started there then moved on to Ridgeley and I was making my way towards Morgantown when I met you.” 

“She’s alive…” the brunette muttered in awe, “Ha! She made it out!” 

Chancing a glance at Jake, Clarke asked the other girl, “Who? Who’s still alive?” 

The brunette stepped towards her, “One of my squadmates. I’m military, or I was away, and my squad and I were sent to DC to try and “contain” the outbreak when it first started spreading. We were overrun though, and I got separated from the rest of my group. We had agreed to meet up in my hometown if that were to happen though, and that’s where I’ve been headed for the past couple of days.” 

“And where’s that, exactly? Your hometown, I mean.” The blonde asked. 

“Spencer, it’s still about a hundred and ten or so miles from here though, give or take.” 

“So...you’re military? I guess that explains the gear and impressive fighting display earlier…” 

The other girl sighed, and Clarke could  _ feel  _ the hesitation in the action. For a moment the brunette was silent, seemingly thinking over everything they had just discussed. “Fine. You can come with me.” 

It took the blonde a moment to process what had been said. “R-really? You’ll let me come along?” 

The brunette turned and started walking through the woods again, the sun having just started to rise. “Yeah, but you better hurry up before I change my mind.” 

Quickly grabbing her duffel bag from where it had been dropped, Clarke hurried after the brunette, “Jake! C’mon boy!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm literally making this story up as a write so yeah...idk the whole conversation Clarke and Lexa have about Clarke tagging along with Lexa feels really...fake. Like, it think it should have taken more for Lexa to agree to let Clarke join her, but I dunno.
> 
> *Thank you to SinkIntoZen for letting me know about a few typos in the chapter!


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa making their way to Spencer, WV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyo, how's it going guys? Does anyone live/been to/know someone who lives in any of the locations I've used in this story so far? Hope you're all doing well, thank you again for reading and thank you to everyone who sent me Title suggestions. I will gladly take suggestions for any unnamed chapters if you'd like to sent them. As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below!
> 
> (P.S. this chapter was just stuck into Grammarly then posted, so like, it's somewhat edited but not really since I haven't actually bothered to reread it :) Enjoy all my mistakes!)

It was quickly becoming clear to Clarke that running into the brunette was quite possibly the luckiest thing to have ever happened to her. They had only been walking for about two hours or so, but already Clarke could tell that the other girl was far more suited to be gallivanting through this new world than she was. As they walked through the woods, Clarke had been instructed by the soldier to “keep her footsteps light and quiet.”

The blonde soon learned that that was a feat (I guess you could say “a FEET” hah!) easier said than done. While her companions seemed to be able to silently walk among the dead leaves and branches underfoot, Clarke was positive she was the loudest thing in the entire woods around them. Though she was walking directly behind the girl and dog in front of her, it seemed she somehow managed to step on every twig, branch, leaf, and rock that they had missed and then some. 

As she was glaring down at her feet silently trying to will them to be silent, Clarke suddenly ran into something solid. Stumbling, Clarke looked up to apologize when she noticed Lexa's left fist held up as she stood stock still, head cocked to the side. Looking down to the brunette’s right, Clarke noticed Jake was in much the same position, though while Lexa seemed to be listening  _ to  _ something, Jake seemed to be listening  _ for _ something. Clarke herself didn’t hear anything, however, and was confused as to what the brunette could be hearing, especially if it was something that Jake,  _ a dog _ , couldn’t even seem to pick up. 

Crouching slightly and readying her rifle, Lexa kept her gaze to the empty woods to their left. “Five Z’s. On our left.” 

The blonde furrowed her brows, looking to their left and seeing nothing.  _ The hell?  _ To make matters worse, Jake seemed to be just as confused as she was. 

“Uh, Lexa...what the  _ hell- _ ” Clarke started to ask, but was then cut off as the brunette quickly shouldered her rifle and drew her sword all in one fluid motion, before dashing forward at an almost  _ inhuman  _ speed and disappearing into the dark. Clarke looked to Jake confusedly until she heard a *shink* and the sound of solid somethings falling to the forest floor. 

“Clarke!” Came the whisper in the dark, “Come here, one of them had a backpack.” 

“Uh, o-okay…..” Clarke squinted into the dark, “Fuck. Jake, can you smell Lexa?” 

Thankfully Jake seemed to understand, as he lifted his snoot into the air before beginning to walk in the direction Lexa had went. About ten feet away, the blonde was able to spot the other girl crouched next to multiple now headless zombies. True to her word, there appeared to be five of them. Opening her mouth to begin asking a barrage of questions, Clarke was cut off by the brunette whispering in the dark. 

“Here,” she said, holding out a small hunting knife in one hand. Clarke took the offered weapon timidly, and the brunette immediately went back to sifting through the backpack that must have been on the-now dead-zombie’s back. Seemingly satisfied, Clarke took the backpack when it was offered to her and watched as the soldier moved on to check the others. The third body she checked offered a pistol and a few clips, which the brunette briefly inspected before handing it to her as well. 

“Lexa-you’re just trusting me with theses? I...I don’t even know how to use them.” Clarke asked, tucking the extra clip into her back pocket. 

“I don’t trust you,” Lexa started firmly, making the blonde’s heart deflate slightly, “But you’re less of a hindrance and more of an asset to me if you have something to defend yourself with. I’d rather see you wielding a stick than risk yourself getting bit by trying to do hand to hand combat.” 

“I still don’t know how to shoot though, so I’m still just as useless as before…” Clarke countered. 

The brunette turned to look at her, “I never said you were useless, Clarke. You seem like you can handle yourself, and I don’t doubt you. As for the gun, once we get to my old house in Spencer I’ll teach you how to shoot and defend yourself.” 

The blonde smiled slightly, “Okay.” 

The sun was beating down on Clarke’s back and she thought she was going to melt into a puddle. Looking ahead of her, she had no idea how Lexa and Jake were able to keep trotting along with all their gear, clothes, and fur, without dying of heatstroke.   
“Lexa...can...can we please take a break?” Clarke panted, not waiting for an answer before she dropped her duffel bag where she was standing and sitting down next to it. 

Circling back towards her, Lexa and Jake sat in front of her on the forest floor. Reaching into her backpack, Lexa pulled out a water bottle with a filter attached to the lid. 

Holding out the bottle Lexa said, “Here, drink some. Slowly, so you don’t throw up.” 

Nodding gratefully, Clarke took the water bottle gratefully and took a few careful sips, watching as Lexa pet Jake gently on the head. Once she was done she handed the bottle back to Lexa, who then poured some into her cupped hand so Jake could drink some. 

Clarke took a look at Lexa’s attire. Unlike her own short sleeve t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans, the brunette was wearing an army green button-up with long sleeves, and camo pants. Tied around her upper left bicep was a red sash, and slung over her shoulder and secured with buckles was a holster for her longsword. 

“So...can I ask why you look military but you’re carrying a sword? The last I checked, the military didn’t bring swords to a gunfight.” 

Lexa narrowed her eyes, “Why should I tell you anything about me?” 

The way she asked wasn’t rude, more or less just cautious, however, the question still made Clarke bristle slightly. 

“Well, how about this. You ask me a question, and I’ll answer. Then I’ll ask you a question, and you answer. That way, we know the same amount of stuff about each other. Deal?” 

Considering this for a moment, Lexa asked, “Deal, but only if I can say ‘no’ to certain questions. While we may learn the same  _ amount  _ of information about each other, who's to say what information is more or less important?” 

The blonde rolled her eyes, “Okay fine, I guess I can live with that.” 

Lexa started rummaging around through one of her backpacks, “To answer your question, no, the military doesn’t give its soldiers swords, however, I knew how to use one before I enlisted. This came from my home.” 

Filing that information away in a mental folder Clarke was going to label, “Lexa,” the blonde sat waiting for her own question. 

Pulling out a small plastic bag of trail mix, Lexa offered some to Clarke before asking her question. “You said you had some medical experience. You don’t look to be older than me, so what was it that you did before all this?” 

Gratefully taking a small handful of the offered food, the blonde chewed and swallowed before answering. “I was in my senior year of high school, gearing up to go to college to become either an artist or a doctor or a nurse, I hadn’t decided. Not that that decision matters much now anyway...but I already learned first aid and some other more advanced medical things from my mom. She is, or  _ was _ , God, I don’t know, a general surgeon.” Lexa nodded thoughtfully, before holding the bag of trail mix in silent offering. Clarke shook her head “no,” and was surprisingly glad the brunette hadn’t said any of the classic “I’m sorry for your loss” or “It’ll be okay” lines. “So, earlier, when I was talking about the sniper you seemed to think you knew who I was talking about. Who? How are you so sure it’s the same person? How do you know them? Why aren’t you with them?” 

“Clarke, that’s like...twenty questions,” Lexa said in a voice that sounded like she was trying to hold back a laugh. Clarke desperately wanted her to let it go. Just as the blonde was about to say ‘then you can ask me just as many’ Lexa answered her. “To answer your questions with one answer, I believe you ran into one of the members on my squad. The location fits and I doubt very many people are choosing to wield sniper rifles of all things, during a situation like this. For someone to pull off a shot like that, without having you see them in broad daylight takes some skill, skill I  _ know  _ she possesses.” Lexa shifted, getting to her feet before pausing, then offering a hand to Clarke. “What happened with the guy you ran into? Besides him getting shot in the forehead, I mean.” 

So, Clarke went into the story of how she was at the hospital waiting for her dad, how she watched the news then woke up only to find her mother gone and her dad dead. Once she started Clarke found it impossible to stop. For some reason, she really trusted the other girl and found herself telling nearly her entire story so far. By the time she had finished, the sun was already starting to set and it looked as if they were nearing Lexa’s hometown of Spencer. 

“And then you saved my ass.” Clarke froze, her hands holding the straps of the backpack Lexa had given her, the duffel bag she had taken bumping softly against her right jean-clad knee, while the pistol rested ominously on her left hip.  _ Did I seriously just tell a near-stranger all that? What the hell Clarke, get it together! You can’t go telling all your secrets to strangers, what if she turns out like Finn?  _ Although, once Clarke starting thinking about Lexa ending up like Finn, she found herself more than comfortable with the idea of having sex-

“Clarke!” Lexa called from ahead of her, not too loud as to attract unwanted attention, but enough to pull Clarke out of her daze. “You coming or what?” 

“Yeah! Just a minute!” Bending over, the blonde made like she was tying her shoe, ignoring the almost smug look that Jake gave her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Thank you to SinkIntoZen for pointing out a few typos in this chapter!


	6. Chapter 5 - Will You Stay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyyo, it's been...a minute...No excuse! Hopefully this chapter is okay. As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! (Also see the ends notes for some personal plugs :])
> 
> Thanks for reading, you guys literally inspire me to keep writing <3
> 
> P.S. this chapter was written the then posted, so, there WILL be mistakes...but would it really have been an upload from me if there wasn't?

Clarke hadn’t really set up any expectations in her mind of what Lexa’s childhood home might look like, but finding out that it was a large three-story cabin in the middle of the woods, far  _ past  _ the “outskirts” of town somehow seemed both fitting and not. 

“Well...this is it. This is...home,” Lexa said, sounding almost sad? Nervous? Clarke couldn't quite place what emotion laced the brunette's voice but she knew the girl in front of her was feeling a lot of something. Just as she was reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, Lexa sighed and started walking again. Clarke frowned, hand still suspended in the air. The blonde looked down at Jake, who whined before casting a glance over his shoulder. 

“I know boy, I know.” 

Following after the other girl, Clarke took in the area around the house. The yard was absolutely huge, cleared out in a circle closest to the house before it hit the treeline. A long gravel driveway stretched on for seemingly forever, and ended in front of the large two-door garage. Off the second story of the house was a wrap-around porch, which overlooked the forest around them. Already, Clarke dreamily thought of the view from the porch, with all the leaves, especially now as they would be changing colors with the season. 

Following Lexa through a door that took them to an above-ground basement, Clarke was in awe at what met her. The space was part living area, part game room, and complete with a bar and kitchen area. The two couches and three reclining chairs were all dark leather, and faced a large flat-screen TV. The bar and kitchen were bigger and nicer than most kitchens looked in houses that only had one. And the game room had two arcade-style racing chairs, a dual-platform dancer game, an air-hockey table, and a pool table. 

“I-woah...you didn’t mention that you were rich,” Clarke said, picking her jaw up from off the floor and looking around with wide eyes. 

“Well, we’re not really rich per-se, this house belonged to my great-great-great-grandfather and every family has been adding on since. Plus, two of my aunts, an uncle, and two of my cousins lived here as well. Half of us were military, the others were a lawyer and a CEO.” 

It wasn’t said in a manner that was snobbish or bragging, just a matter of fact. Something Clarke admired the other girl for. With her mother being a very successful doctor, and her dad the head of an architectural company, she wasn’t exactly tight with money herself. While her father had been humble about everything, her mother could be a bit...high strung at times.” 

Clearly still slightly bothered, Lexa added, “Just...so you don’t get the wrong idea, everything was worked and earned. This game room? My cousins and I have been working on it since we were twelve. Stockpiling our allowances as kids to saving some of our paychecks when we were older, we bought and added everything you see down here. The three of us mostly lived down here, while my aunts, uncle, and parents took the two upper floors.” 

Clarke smiled, “Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re bratty, if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

Looking her over for a minute, the brunette nodded once sharply then smiled, turning around. “Well then, allow me to give you the grand tour?” 

Going up the stairs to the main floor of the house, Clarke was greeted yet again by another kitchen and living area. Both of which were large open spaces that faced a wall of windows showcasing the forest around them. On the first floor were also two bedrooms and two bathrooms, while the upstairs held an office, library, and two more bedrooms with one bath. Coming back down to the first floor, Clarke followed Lexa out onto the balcony and leaned next to the brunette on the railing. Whilst the blonde looked out at the woods around them, her elbows supporting her upper half which she had bent over the wooded railing, Lexa had opted to lean her lower back onto the railing so that she faced the house. 

“So, what was it like? Growing up out here in the middle of nowhere?” Clarke joked. However, she was slightly curious, having spent her entire existence in the city. 

“Well, I’ve climbed and fallen out of nearly every tree within eyesight,” she joked, turning her head to look over her shoulder and away from Clarke, giving the blonde the perfect opportunity to study the girl beside her. “I guess sometimes it was annoying to be surrounded by so many family members at once, but the house and land were big enough that we were able to have our own spaces. My father, for example, spent most of his time in the office while my mother stayed in the library. My uncle Gus loved working on cars in the garage with cousin Lincoln. My aunt Indra and my cousin Anya always hung out together, sometimes going for runs in the woods or hunting, they were both restless and tried to stay out of the house as much as possible. My aunt Nia was almost never around, she only showed up maybe once a month and then went back into the city to blow money on men, drinks, and drugs.” 

Clarke smiled slightly, appreciative of how much the brunette was sharing. “And what about you? What were you doing all the time huh?” 

Grinning boyishly with a slight blush on her cheeks Lexa replied, “I was running around the woods like a damn lost boy from Neverland.” She turned so that she could hover over Clarke’s shoulders and point vaguely out into the woods before them. When she spoke, her breath tickled the blonde’s cheek, making her heart race. “There is-er, was, I don’t know if it’s still there now, but, there was an old bunker-cabin of sorts a mile or so out there in the woods that my dad and uncle Nyko used to use for hunting when they were boys. Ever since my uncle Nyko died in a war my dad couldn’t stand to be out there anymore so I pretty much took over the space as my own. Actually, I think I slept out there alone in that cabin more than I did in my room at the house. I used to have to get up an extra hour or two earlier than Anya and Lincoln so I was ready for school in the mornings!” she finished the last part with a laugh, something Clarke thought must have been rare. From what she had gathered of the brunette so far, she was very reserved and quiet, but being back in a space familiar to her must have been comforting. 

“Wow, that sounds so cool. I spent most of my time in the attic of my house. After I came home from school one day and showed my dad a drawing I did of us together, apparently, he decided that I was going to be the next Da Vinci and turned the whole attic into a studio for me. I’ve been painting and drawing ever since.” 

It was quiet after that, not uncomfortable but not quite companionable. After a while, Lexa spoke, “I-I don’t want to say the cliche or assume anything, but I’m really sorry about what happened to your dad, Clarke. The way you talk about him...I’m guessing you two were close?”

Maybe it had been the way quiet way Lexa had spoken, how she looked genuinely mournful for someone she never, and would never know. Or maybe it was the way two big green eyes seemed to engulf the entirety of her being, whatever it was, the blonde soon found herself getting teary-eyed and latching onto the girl next to her. When she felt the brunette flinch and stiffen in between her arms she was prepared to pull away and apologize, but then the other girl hugged her back. Awkwardly at first, almost like she was afraid to touch the blonde, but then securely. Forgoing all sense of what was appropriate to do with a near stranger, Clarke buried her head in the crook of Lexa’s neck and cried again for the loss of her father. With everything going on around her, it had slipped her mind. But now, now that she wasn’t on high alert or moving, everything was catching up to her and she was immensely tired. 

After five or so minutes, Clarke’s cries eventually evened out into sniffles and Lexa stopped rubbing soothing circles on her back to hold her by the shoulders and look her in the eyes. Clarke had been unaware of when  _ exactly  _ Lexa had started rubbing her back, but now that she had stopped she found she missed the contact. 

“Do you feel any better? I’m sure it must’ve felt good to get some of that out, you’ve had a pretty crazy couple of days from what you’ve told me.” 

Clarke blushed, “Y-yeah, a little. T-thanks, by the way. And sorry I got your shirt all snotty…” 

There wasn’t a reply, and when Clarke dared to raise her head up and look at Lexa in the face she was met with a warm comforting smile. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Looking over her head, Lexa focused on the woods beyond the balcony and Clarke took the opportunity to take in the girl in front of her. From this close, Clarke could see the different shades of green that made up her eyes, from forest to emerald, to jade. 

“It’s getting late, what do you say I make us dinner?” 

Clarke opened her mouth to respond but her stomach growled before she could say anything, “Y’know, that sounds wonderful.” 

There was a bark and a slight whine from inside the house. 

Lexa smiled, briefly looking over her shoulders and through the bay windows, “I think Jake agrees with you.” 

Lexa had been gone for about an hour and a half now. The sun had started setting even more, and according to the grandfather clock at the end of the upstairs hall, it was approaching 5 o’clock. Clarke heard the sound of Jake’s claws as he ran up the steps and trotted to stand over in front of her. 

“What is it, boy?” Clarke put down the book she had been glossing over,  _ The Witch’s Game _ , (sorry, I couldn’t resist! I love a good crossover/reference. If you’re interested it's another fic of mine, and currently one of three that I half fully finished) and stooped down to pat Jake’s head. 

Just as Clarke had been about to ask again she heard the front door open downstairs, “Clarke! I’m back!” There was the sound of boots on the hardwood floor and something being flopped onto the kitchen countertop. 

Making her way down the stairs, Jake on her heels, Clarke made her way into the kitchen to find Lexa standing behind a fresh pile of bloody meat.

“Lexa!” 

The brunette’s head shot up, “Um...yes Clarke?” A thought seemed to cross her mind, “I’m sorry! You’re not vegan or vegetarian, are you? I should have asked before I left! It isn’t a whole lot but I did manage to find some mushrooms and root vegetables while I was out, I thought we could share them as sides with the deer but you can have them all if you'd rather?” 

For a moment the blonde just stared at the other girl in open-mouthed shock, then she shook her head slightly. Smiling while saying, “No, no I’m not. I was just...shocked is all.” 

This seemed to embolden the brunette as she began to flit about the kitchen, gathering pots and pans and knives. “Great, just give me about twenty minutes and I’ll have dinner whipped up!” 

Briefly, Clarke debated asking if she wanted any help, but then she remembered all the times she had burned soup or caught her toast on fire and decided it would be to both of their benefits if she just let Lexa do her thing. “C’mon Jake, I’m sure Lex doesn’t want you staring at her while she cooks.” There was a pause in the rhythmic chopping of Lexa’s knife when the nickname slipped from Clarke’s lips, but she never said anything so the blonde filed it away for later.

Walking back out onto the porch, Clarke leaned on the railing and thought about how only hours ago, she had been alone save for Jake, who was turning out to be quite the loyal companion. Now, here she was in the company of a woman who had been in the military, who had weapons and knew how to cook. Who, despite herself, seemed to want to protect Clake and Jake. For a while, Clarke just stood there, watching the sun slowly slip beyond the horizon and feeling the temperature gradually cool. Being out in the woods like this, Clarke was surprised at all the noises she heard. All the stars she could see. There were frogs, and crickets, and other little chirps and scampers that she never would have been able to hear above the hustle and bustle of the city. And the sky! The sun wasn’t even all the way set yet and she could already see more stars dotting the yellow-orange sky than she could at even the darkest hours in the city. 

“Clarke! Jake! Dinner!” 

Lexa’s voice startled her, and it took the blonde a moment to turn around and find Jake already making his way through the glass sliding door which Lexa had opened. Clarke watched the two for a moment, unsure of what feeling she had exactly of the sight of Lexa smiling at Jake as he walked through the door, before throwing a boyish grin over her shoulder at herself and making her way into the kitchen and dining area. Both of which had already been set with quite the impressive spread of food and drink. Lexa had even set a bowl by the foot of one of the chairs with what looked like chunked meat and bone it in. 

Clarke wondered then, how out of all the things that had happened to her in the past few days, weeks even, how she had been lucky enough to chance upon both Jake and Lexa. However, a small part of her reminded her of what Finn had done. Who he had turned out to be, and that small part of her was telling her that this could all just be Lexa trying to get her to trust her. But, then, the reality hit her. She already trusted Lexa. Completely. And while the thought should have scared her, it didn’t. Unfortunately, the reality was that Lexa didn’t trust  _ her _ . She was the one who needed to prove herself, not the other way around. 

And Clarke was determined to prove herself. 

It turned out the brunette was an excellent cook. Clarke had never had deer before, but found out that she quite liked the steak that Lexa grilled up. And although her father had been a steller chef, Clarke found herself unfamiliar with the way Lexa prepared the vegetables. She surprised herself by how hungry she was, having eaten nothing but berries and what few snacks she had managed to gather before beginning her solo journey. After dinner was done, Clarke helped Lexa wash, dry, and put away the dishes, Jake laying nearby and watching whilst chewing on the bone Lexa had given him. 

“You’re welcome to help yourself to any of the clothes you can find around here. I’m not sure how much will fit you though, both my mother and I have longer legs than you, but maybe my cousin’s clothes would be best? Or, if you’d prefer, we can just wash the ones you have on, but I don’t recommend skinny jeans in the midst of an apocalypse.” 

Clarke was stunned. Lexa hadn’t looked over at her or stopped drying the pan she was holding when she said it, but the blonde was more than sure it had been a joke. Or, at least the part about the apocalypse was. Smilining, Clarke said, “Thanks. And yeah, I hadn’t exactly had the apocalypse in mind when I was picking out my clothes.” It might have been her imagination, but Clarke swore she saw the other girl smirk slightly out of the corner of her eye. 

Maybe it was because she hadn’t had a proper shower in so long-long enough that Clarke didn’t stop to count the days for fear of grossing herself out-or maybe it was because amidst everything taking a shower offered some small sense or normalcy, but the blonde swore that she was in heaven. Lexa had been kind enough to let her use the master bath, but Clarke saw how she lingered in the bedroom door, almost hesitant to step in. After looking at the photos on the walls, dressers, and nightstands, the blonde figured the room had belonged to her parents. She wondered what kind of family, parents, they had been. What kind of girl Lexa had been. Though she knew little to nothing, only what Lexa had offered, she felt as though she could tell a lot through their photos. They were sad really, how drastically they differed from one family picture to the next. Sad that Lexa’s parents never seemed to be smiling, not even when they were a young couple holding a little bundle of tan blankets. Sadder still was how the smile on little Lexa’s face shrank smaller and smaller until her expression was just as blank as her parents. Save for her eyes. Those green eyes never seemed to dull as she grew older, they just got darker and deeper. Like all the things Lexa had learned pooled there. It was strange too, how the three of them never seemed to age. For Lexa’s part, her face got a little narrower, much sharper, but never changed too dramatically. Stranger still, was how she was almost the perfect blend of her father and her mother. She had her mother’s wavy hair, and her father’s sharp composure. Though her mother’s lips weren’t quite as full as hers, and her cheeks weren’t quite as sharp and hollow as her father’s. The most striking thing about it all was Lexa’s eyes. Something that seemed to be completely her own, as both her mother and father had eyes so dark brown they were almost black. 

There was a knock on the door, and in the silence of the large room, the echo made Clarke jump. “Clarke! Are you finished? I think I may have found some clothes for you...if you’re still in the shower I’ll just leave them on the bed for you.” 

“N-no, I’m out,” Clarke stammered as she opened the door. Clutching the towel a little tighter around herself, Clarke looked at Lexa standing in front of her. She was holding a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a flannel, and some crew socks. 

“I’m not sure what’ll fit, but the pants were my cousin’s, and the flannel was mine, and I’m not quite sure who the t-shirt belonged to. The weather’s getting cool, and there’s a spare jacket downstairs in the closet that you’re welcome to have if you want it.”

Once again, Clarke was rendered speechless by the other girl’s kindness. “Lexa I...thank you. I honestly don’t know where I would be right now without you. Probably dead honestly. I wish I had some way to repay you bu-” 

Lexa started shaking her head. “Don’t worry about repaying me, Clarke. I was a soldier, remember? Protecting people is my duty. And...well, it’s been nice having someone else, y’know?” 

The blonde’s heart had sunk a little upon hearing Lexa talk of their “relationship” as strictly a duty, but the muttered words at the end had made her smile. 

“Of course, and, don’t forget, you have Jake now too. You’re not alone in this anymore. I-...well, I don’t really have any plans, and now probably isn’t the best time to be having this discussion seeing as how it’s late and I’m standing here wrapped in a bath towel dripping all over your carpet, but if you’re okay with it, if you’ll allow me, I’ll stick with you as long as you’re comfortable with. I understand you may not be able to trust me just yet, but I have a feeling that you’re one of the last good people on this earth and I don’t wanna turn my back on that. So...whattya say, partners?” 

For a long time, Lexa was quiet. A thoughtful look on her face that Clarke couldn’t quite read, then she smiled. Big and white and brilliant. 

“Sure Clarke, partners.” 

Later that night, Clarke was laying in one of the empty bedrooms, staring up at the ceiling and willing her mind to be quiet for long enough so that she could go to sleep. It wasn’t that she wasn’t tired, in fact, Clarke was fairly certain she was outright, bone-tired, and exhausted. It was just, for some reason every time she closed her eyes she couldn’t seem to make herself fall asleep. The moon was shining in from the glass sliding door to her left, which led to the room’s balcony, but otherwise, she was in complete and utterly silent darkness. It was so quiet that the only thing Clarke heard was a faint ringing or buzz in her ears. If it hadn't been for Jake raising his head from where he was laying at her feet, she never would have heard the soft padding of footsteps down the hall or seen the slight illumination under the bottom of the door. 

“L-Lexa?” she asked into the darkness, only slightly above a whisper. The padding stopped and the light remained under the door, and then the knob was turning and Lexa was timidly poking her head in, face illuminated by the faint glow of the candle she was holding.

“Yes, Clarke?” 

Clarke exhaled a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, “Oh thank god that was only you.” 

Jake, seeing no current threat or dangers laid his head back down on the mattress and promptly went back to sleep.

“Sorry, I hadn’t meant to frighten you. I was just checking to make sure all the doors and windows were locked.” 

Clarke shook her head, aware that in the dark Lexa probably couldn’t even see her face, “No, I’m just a little jumpy I guess. I’m exhausted but...I just can’t sleep.” 

Lexa was silent for a moment, “Would you like me to make you some tea? It might soothe you some?” 

Shaking her head again, Clarke replied, “No, thank you. That’ll just make me have to pee.” Though she wasn’t positive, the blonde could have sworn she heard a slight chuckle.

“Well, good night Clarke. Sleep well.” 

“Night Lexa.” Just as the door was about to close, Clarke sat up in bed, startling Jake, “Wait! Lexa!” 

Though she didn’t reopen the door, she did stop closing it. “Yes, Clarke?” 

She wasn’t sure what came over her, but suddenly the thought of being alone in this huge house, in this room, in the dark, was overwhelming. “Would...would you stay? Please?” 

When there wasn’t an immediate reply the blonde began to backtrack, “N-nevermind. That’s silly, I’m sorry, that was stupid. Nevermind, good night. I’ll just-.” 

“Sure, Clarke. Just let me get changed and then I’ll be back.” 

And then the light started moving down the hall again, and Lexa’s nearly silent footsteps with it. In fact, the blonde wasn’t so sure she couldn’t be completely silent if she wanted. A few minutes later the door opened again and Lexa made her way over to the bed, placing the candle she had been holding on the nightstand. 

“Well, are you gonna slide over or am I gonna have to move you myself?” In the low light of the moon and candle, Clarke could just make out the glint of Lexa’s teeth as she smiled. Scooting over, Clarke watched dumbstruck as Lexa pulled back the sheets and climbed in, careful not to kick or rouse Jake too much, wearing nothing but short track shorts and a tank top. Without so much as another word Lexa made herself comfortable with her back facing Clarke and reached out to pinch out the candle. 

“Goodnight, Clarke.”

After a beat, “Goodnight Lexa.” 

And this time, when Clarke closed her eyes, she fell right into sleep’s waiting arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, THANK YOU! Also, thank you so much for reading this, and continuing to read this if you've been here since the beginning. If you wanna get to know me, or see the other things I do my Instagram is @theoneandonlymegan, my snap is @coppertop0_o, or if you'd like to listen to any of the covers I do, my YouTube is "Megan Bohus" (or here's the link) --> https://youtube.com/channel/UCTK6rroew4DHy5vvWBAF7kw
> 
> *Thank you to SinkIntoZen for pointing out a few typos I had in this chapter


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets her first lesson in Lexa's School of Badassery (TM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! For all of you returning readers, you're amazing! Ahh, I love you! For all of you new readers, Hi, welcome to the chaos that is my writing. Never expect me to proofread anything and accept that I will make the worst jokes in history. Hopefully you like it! As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! (I love my catchphrase btw)

When Clarke woke the following morning she was alone, and  _ fucking cold _ .

“Shit!,” she exclaimed when one of her bare feet touched the hardwood floors. The candle that Lexa had set on the nightstand was still there, and Clarke could see that the brunette’s side of the bed was already made. Rolling her eyes, she smiled as she thought of the other girl,  _ Of course she fucking makes the bed after she gets up... she probably gets up before the sun rises too. Damn crazy people  _ Finally feeling brave, Clarke slid out of bed and messily made the rest of the bed. As she walked out of the room and down the hall to the stairs, she wondered where Jake had gone off to. 

Her answer came when she rounded the corner of the landing and was immediately hit with the smell of breakfast being cooked and coffee being made. Lexa was in the kitchen standing over the stove which had momentarily been converted into a flat top griddle, while pancakes and eggs cooked. Jake was laying on the floor behind her, watching intently as the brunette flipped one of the pancakes with ease. 

“You can come down, you know,” Lexa said, looking over her shoulder with a smile, “Breakfast is almost ready. I let Jake out to go pee when I got up, but do you think you could let him out again?”

Clarke shook her head to focus, “Of course, c’mon boy, let’s go take a potty break.” 

“Thank you, oh, and how do you want your eggs?” 

Stopping in front of the door, “Mm, fried please? That is, if you don’t mind and it isn’t too much trouble?” 

Nodding, Clarke watched as Lexa placed the last pancake on a plate under a towel and began cracking eggs. “Not a problem. Oh! Here, you can take my jacket so you don’t freeze out there, it’s on the hook by the door.” 

“Thanks.” 

Clarke grabbed the offered item and held the door open for a curious Jake, who seemed more interested in sniffing every leaf, rock, and bug he encountered than taking a wee. (For the record, I don’t normally say “wee” but I figured I’d already cussed quite a bit so “piss” was out, and “wee” just seemed really funny to me at 10 in the morning, idk) Standing on the wooden planks of the stoop, Clarke huddled into Lexa’s jacket. It was cold, and the blonde could see her breath as mist in front of her. Burying her face into the collar to warm her chin and nose, Clarke blushed when all of her senses were overloaded with  _ Lexa _ . Her jacket smelled of wood and pine, almost like someone had taken a campsite and put it in a bottle. The blonde wondered just how much time the other girl must have spent in the woods to practically smell like them herself. 

Blushing harder, Clarke caught herself,  _ Dammit Clarke, get ahold of yourself. Even if Lexa isn’t like Finn there’s no need to go crushing on her, that’s only going to make things awkward. Don’t go screwing things up!  _ Surprisingly, her voice sounded a lot like a hot-headed mechanic that she hadn’t had the chance to think about before all this began. For only a moment, the blonde allowed herself to think about her friends, for anything longer and she knew she would get into a funk that would be hard to escape. 

_ Raven, Octavia, Bellamy, Jasper, Monty, Wells...I hope you’re all out there somewhere, doing okay, maybe you’re all even together. _

Jake’s low growl pulled the blonde from her thoughts, “What? What is it boy?” Whispering and standing still as not to alert anything to her presence, Clarke looked at the treeline a mere couple of yards away from them. Then, suddenly, two deer crashed through the leaves and underbrush, three coyotes on their heels. 

Letting out her breath, Clarke turned towards the door, ready to get back into the warmth, “C’mon Jake, let’s go see if Lexa has breakfast ready yet.” 

After they ate, Clarke once again reveling in the fact that Lexa was an excellent cook, the blonde had been instructed to meet Lexa down in the basement once she was ready. Ready for what, Clarke hadn’t asked, but figured it was going to involve the brunette making good on her promise to teach her how to defend herself, if the pistol and ammo she grabbed was anything to go by. 

Heading down to the basement, Clarke followed Lexa back into a room she hadn’t seen on the brief tour the day before. Inside, was simply a set of stairs that lead downwards. Flipping on a switch, Lexa began descending down the steps, Clarke and Jake following after her. 

Clarke soon found herself in what looked to be an indoor gym of sorts, except half of the room appeared to double as a shooting range as well. Following Lexa past a boxing ring, Clarke was now standing in front of one of the three target areas. 

“Okay, so, this morning I’m going to go over the basics of shooting a handgun with you, after lunch if you’re up for it I can work with you on being stealthy and tracking and foraging in the woods, then maybe if you’re up for it, this evening we can spar a little.” 

Though Lexa made it sound like no big deal, the tasks seemed more than a little daunting to the blonde. “Um, yeah sure, but...don’t expect too much from me...I’m not exactly a good shot or in shape and I’m known to be more than a little clumsy.” 

Furrowing her brow, Clarke was surprised by the certainty with which Lexa responded, “Well, certainly not with that attitude. So what if you’re not a good shot,  _ yet _ , I doubt you’ve ever been given the chance to practice. And maybe you’re not “in shape” to society’s standard, but you’re most certainly not  _ out  _ of shape. And just because you’re a little clumsy doesn’t mean you can learn and become more careful.” 

Surprised by her outburst, Clarke blushed and the brunette’s defense of her. “T-thanks,” she stammered, ducking her head. 

Seemingly satisfied with herself and feeling as though her point had been made, Lexa turned towards the targets in front of them, “Alright, so, when aiming a gun…” 

*BANG*

Clarke was getting frustrated. 

*BANG* 

They had been at this for nearly an hour and a half. 

*BANG* 

She had lost count of how many shots she had fired. 

*BANG BANG BANG* 

...So far she had only managed to hit the target twice...neither of which had come close to the blue outline of a body she had been aiming at. 

“Ugh! It's no use, I’ll never be able to shoot this damn thing!” Clarke cried, waving the gun and her arms about exasperatedly. 

“Safety! Safety!” Lexa reminded, jumping out of the gun’s aim. 

Clarke stopped, confused, before she remembered the weapon in her hands, “Oops! Sorry!” 

Once the safety had been flipped, Lexa moved closer back towards Clarke, “Don’t get upset Clarke, this is only your first try.” 

Defeated, Clarke slouched her shoulders and placed the gun on the counter behind her. “Easy for you to say, I bet you could shoot a bullseye with your eyes closed.” 

Beginning to start gathering up the blanks and other various pieces of equipment and tools they had used to practice, Lexa answered, “And how do you think I got to be that way? I certainly wasn’t like that from the get-go, or even overnight.” 

Having doubts, Clarke started at the side of Lexa’s face, “Uh-huh, suuurrrrreee.” 

There was a moment of silence, “...okay so I’m naturally a good shot, but that’s not the point.” 

Clarke furrowed her brow, “Not helping.” 

True to her word, after lunch the two made their way out into the woods, Clarke carrying the handgun upon Lexa’s insistence even though the blonde hard refused with, “Fine. But it’s not like I’ll be able to hit anything anyway.” 

Jake, for one, seemed to be happy to be out in the woods again, and even though he excitedly pranced through the leaves, he did seem to be slightly cautious of their surroundings. Lexa, it seemed, also preferred the outdoors to her family’s house. Though it was obvious to anyone with eyes that the brunette was on high alert, there also seemed to be the faintest of smiles curling the corner of her lip. 

Crouching down in front of a fallen tree, Lexa brushed aside the leaves piled around it to reveal white mushrooms that were so perfectly rounded they could have been from a movie. “Okay Clarke, these mushrooms are called Destroying Angel, and while they don’t look like much, these little guys are responsible for most mushroom related fatalities in North America, and if eaten will damage the liver and kidneys.”

Clarke, trying not to laugh at the overly serious way Lexa had said ‘most mushroom related fatalities in North America’, could only offer an, “Oh.” in response. 

Everything had been going smoothly for about an hour or so, the small satchel they had brought with them now containing a fair amount of blackberries, raspberries, and elderberries. Then, out of nowhere, Jake and Lexa both came to a sudden stop. Holding her hand out to the stop, Lexa signaled for Clarke to stop. Wanting to ask what was wrong, Clarke began to open her mouth when Lexa turned sharply and pulled her gun and sword, all in one fluid motion. 

“Get behind me, “ she whispered, “Three of them, about thirty feet that way.” 

Suddenly overwhelmed in mild fear, Clarke’s brain didn’t even process the fact that Lexa had apparently heard them from quite a distance away. Doing as instructed, Clarke moved herself behind Lexa, as Jake started to creep forward. Feeling something cold and hard press into her hand, Clarke looked down to see Lexa sneakily handing her a small knife. “Lex?” 

“I’ll get two, I want you to try and take down the third, whichever ones slowest. Don’t be afraid, Jake and I will keep you from getting bit.” 

“ _ What?  _ Lexa,  _ no _ . I-I can’t!” Clarke whisper yelled.

Lexa looked over her shoulder, and the silent confidence Clarke saw pooling in those green eyes was enough to make her feel like she could take on an army, “ _ Yes _ , you  _ can _ .” 

And with that Lexa started making her way silently forward, shockingly as quiet as Jake, it not more so. Trying to emulate what Lexa had taught her earlier, Clarke moved as forward as quietly as she could. 

Which was about as quiet as a pin dropping, if said pin was made entirely out of metal, was the size of a chicken, and was being dropped down a flight of stairs. 

When they were close enough to see the three staggering figures, Clarke felts her palms grow sweaty. “Alright, just do what I do. Either go through the forehead and puncture the brain or go through the neck and sever the spinal cord.” 

The blonde gulped, watching with wide eyes and the soldier stalked forward and speared the biggest of the walkers through the skull, pulling her sword out before moving to the next and slicing its throat, almost taking its head off. Stepping aside, Clarke watched nervously as the last, and scrawniest walker hobbled towards her, arms outstretched and jaw snapping hungrily. 

Shakily, Clarke brought the knife up in front of her. Looking to the brunette at her side, Clarke found imploring green eyes looking back at her. Nodding once, Clarke exhaled a deep breath, steadied her hand, and nodded once back. 

Darting forward, the blonde jetted to the right at the very last second, plunging the short blade of her knife into the thing’s forehead and letting go as she went. 

“Spin, kick!” 

Doing as instructed, Clarke quickly turned and kicked out with her sneaker-clad foot, sending the ghoul to the ground below. It landed with a wet *thump* and laid motionless. 

Thanks to the adrenaline Clarke was breathing heavily. Looking from the thing on the ground before her to the girl standing above it, Clarke was met with one of the proudest looks she had ever been given. Briefly, Clarke was reminded of all the times her father had looked at her like that, except there was something different. With her father, it had always clearly been the look of a proud and loving father, but Lexa...Lexa was looking at her like nothing had changed. It was almost as if Lexa were saying “See, I knew you could do it” but without being crass. 

“How was that?” She asked, unsure of herself despite everything. 

Lexa grinned, “Perfect.” Bending down, the blonde watched as the other girl pulled the knife from the ghoul’s head and wiped it on its tattered shirt before handing it back to Clarke, handle first. However, going against the very little Clarke knew of the girl in front of her, what Lexa said next nearly left the blonde speechless. “I guess now I get to say I was with you for your first, huh Killer?” 

“I-You-Lex!” She squeaked. 

Heading back towards the house, Lexa’s laugh bounced off the trees around them. The sound was beautiful to Clarke, and she decided then that she wanted to do everything in her power to hear it again. 

And later, when Clarke was laying in bed with Lexa by her side after the blonde had insisted she stay, and Jake at their feet, Clarke thought about Lexa’s joke in the woods earlier. It made her head fuzzy to think that she and Lexa were becoming close enough that the brunette felt comfortable enough to make jokes like that around her, to laugh like she had. Free and happy. 

Though she didn’t want to admit it to herself just quite yet, it was scaring the blonde just how easily and quickly she was falling for the other girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (And because apparently, I'm full of myself, here's a little ~personal plug~) Wanna read more Clexa? Check out my other work Unforgettable. I also have other pairings, Pharamercy, Skimmons/Bioquake, Bubbline. 
> 
> Can't get enough of me? (jk, I'm insufferable ik) Insta: @theoneandonlymegan, Snap: @coppertop0_o, Youtube (I do covers) https://youtube.com/channel/UCTK6rroew4DHy5vvWBAF7kw


	8. Chapter 7 - "Okay."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm...or the internal gay panic before the storm, whichever you prefer really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This fic hit over 5,000 hits! That's insane! Thank you so much for reading and for all the lovely comments. I love you all and you all inspire me to write, even though I'm not the best at being consistent with posting. Hope you enjoy, thanks again for all the hits, love you lots, -Megan. 
> 
> As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! 
> 
> P.S. I try my best to answer/respond to comments <3
> 
> Also, do you guys prefer shorter chapters but with more frequent posts, or longer chapters but the time in between is longer?

Clarke awoke the same as she had every morning for nearly a week now. Though the blonde was settling quite nicely into a routine, she knew soon enough they were going to have to go. Lexa had said that she wanted to stay no longer than a week, to keep them from becoming complacent or easy targets for anyone passing through. The hope was that the people Lexa had been with previously would show up soon, as this was their set meeting point, but so far they had yet to show.

Walking into the kitchen, she found Lexa where she was every morning, standing in front of the stove making breakfast while Jake watched her nearby. Leaning her hip on the countertop Clarke watched as the other girl cooked their eggs and fried the bacon. 

“Good morning, Clarke,” Lexa smiled over her shoulder, “Ready for some more hand-to-hand combat today?” 

Clarke groaned, “Ugh….but Lex, we did that  _ yesterday _ .” 

Lexa chuckled, moving to the toaster when it popped, “And we’ll most likely do it again tomorrow, and every day after that…” 

“ _Every day_ ?” Clarke questioned. 

Scooping their eggs onto plates Lexa answered, “Every day until I’m confident and you’re confident that you can defend yourself against the undead or the living.” 

Shuddering at having to fight either foe, Clarke sat down at the counter and waited for Lexa to join her. “So, where do we go next? What’ll happen to your friends if we leave without them?” 

Chewing thoughtfully, Lexa was silent for a moment. “Even though I know it’s foolish, I really hope it doesn’t have to come to that. But I was thinking I would leave a note, somewhere that seems obvious to anyone who knows where to look.” 

Taking a swig of her orange juice, something Clarke was treating as a delicacy as of late, “And where would that be?” 

Nodding her head towards the living room Lexa said, “Take a look, where would you guess if I told you it was somewhere between where we are, and the stairs?” 

Clarke spun her stool around and stared intently at the living area, “Um...under...one of...the cushions?” 

Shaking her head, Lexa prompted, “Look at the mantle.” 

Indeed, something about the mantle seemed out of place. When Clarke noticed it, she gasped out loud, “Lex! That’s genius!” 

It wasn’t obvious to someone who wasn’t expecting it, but on the mantle, one of the pictures had been laid down on its front. Getting up and walking over to it, Clarke picked up the frame and stared at it confused. “But, where’s the letter?” 

Sounding far too pleased with herself Lexa answered, “Exactly. What if I told you that picture was never there before? That it actually hung in the office upstairs, and that it itself if the letter? The clue, more like it.” 

Looking down at the picture in her hands, Clarke realized that there were no people in it, it was simply a black and white photo of a house, and an old one too. It was unlike the rest of the photos on that mantle, which were all of Lexa and people who Clarke assumed were her family members. 

When Clarke looked back at Lexa and saw the devilish smirk on her face, she found it too adorable how pleased the brunette was with herself. “Alright I’ll give it to you, that’s an  _ amazing  _ clue.” 

Spinning back around to her breakfast while Clarke walked back into the room, Lexa said, “Glad my genius is finally appreciated.”

Standing in front of Lexa in a borrowed pair of workout clothes, Clarke held her arms up in a defense position.

“Ready?” Lexa asked, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet, her two arms up and ready in front of her. 

“Yeah,” Clarke replied,  _ No,  _ Clarke thought, “Hit me.”  _ Please don’t! _

For a moment, nothing happened, then, without warning, Lexa lunged forward and swung her fist. Without thinking, and just allowing her reactions to take over, Clarke shrieked and ducked away from the oncoming blow, her hands coming up to -albeit weekly- block her face. 

But the attack never came. Cautiously, Clarke peeked open one eye, only to find Lexa’s fist stopped mere inches from her face. Lowing her arms, Clarke uncurled from herself. “I uh, guess I should have blocked that huh?”

“Well...that would have been ideal, yes?” Lowering his own arms, Lexa stepped closer to Clarke, “Okay, let’s go over the defense moves again.” 

Just as they had the previous days, Lexa talked Clarke through what she was about to do, and what the blonde should do before they moved. Gradually they built up speed until before Clarke realized, she was dodging light punches that Lexa was throwing at her. 

“Leg!” Lexa shouted, giving Clarke only a few minutes to think and catch up before Lexa’s left leg was coming towards her head at an alarming speed. 

“Shit!” 

Attempting to dodge, Clarke jumped back, but while successful in dodging the attack, lost her footing in the process. Before the blonde had a chance to hit the mats, however, Lexa was there, catching her. 

For a moment, Clarke could only stare up into green eyes, then, “You...I...thanks?” 

Standing up slowly and bringing the blonde with her, Lexa righted them, “Good job, I think you might be able to hold your own in a fight now, at least one on one.” 

The praise made Clarke smile even if it was minimal at best. “Thanks.” 

Finally taking her hands off Clarke’s waist, Lexa took a step back and began packing up their supplies. “How about we take a break for a bit? Start making a list and packing bags of things we want to take with us.” 

Taking the tape off her knuckles, Clarke walked over to Jake and scratched him behind the ears. “What kinds of things should we pack? Do you...do you ever plan on coming back here? Do you...ever plan on  _ us  _ coming back here?” 

There was an unspoken question in Clarke’s voice,  _ “How long am I going to be with you?”  _

Stopping what she was doing, Lexa turned to look at her, “Would you ever want to come back?”

“I-” Clarke closed her mouth, she had been seriously willing to follow Lexa’s lead, for whatever reason, she trusted the other girl wholeheartedly, and was relying on her experience to get them through. 

Looking troubled, Lexa set down the bag she had been holding, “Clarke, I don’t want you to feel like you aren’t allowed to have a say in this. Like you aren’t allowed to be a part of the decision making process. Truthfully, I was just planning on bouncing between the safehouses I have around the country, maybe settling down in one where the activity isn’t so high. But I was hoping to have my team with me. But I understand if you have other goals, missions, people you want to look for. And we can look for them! And if you ever decide you want to go it on your own, you’re free to leave. You don’t owe me anything, really. Just, maybe let me know before I reveal all my safehouses to you?” Though the last bit was said as a joke, Clarke got the impression that Lexa really meant it. 

“I-...” Clarke didn’t know what to say. Here they were, in the middle of a literal zombie apocalypse and Clarke was speechless because a beautiful girl was being nice to her. “Thank you, Lex, that means...more than you know. Really.” 

Nodding once sharply, Lexa carried their dishes to the sink, “So, ready to spar again today?” 

In a similar fashion to a child being told to clean their room, Clarke threw her head back, “UUUGGGGHHHH.” 

Lexa’s laughter followed her up the steps as she went to get changed. 

After two hours of hand-to-hand exercises, an hour at the shooting range, and an  _ unfathomably long  _ amount of time on the treadmill Clarke threw herself down onto one of the couches in the lounge area in the basement and declared herself “dead.” Which, may have been a bit of a poor joke to make given the current situation but, sue her.

With one arm on her forehead, another on the back of the couch, a leg slung over the opposite armrest, and a foot on the ground the blonde watched as Lexa wiped her forehead off with a towel and drank some water. 

Clarke was more than a little offended when the brunette didn’t appear to actually be sweating. 

“How are you not utterly exhausted? You did all the same stuff I did. Hell, you had your treadmill set higher than mine!” 

Shrugging, Lexa opened a water bottle and handed it to the blonde, “Nothing compared to the stuff I used to do while in the force.” Gulping down the water, Clarke  _ swore  _ nothing had ever tasted so good in her entire life. “Careful Clarke, if you drink all that too quickly you’ll make yourself sick and throw up.” 

They lapsed into silence for a bit, before Clarke decided to press onward, “So...do you still want to plan on leaving tomorrow?” 

Sighing, Lexa sat down on the floor in front of Clarke’s couch, waving the blonde off when she started to sit up. “I guess? If you want, that is. Like I said, I don’t want you to feel like you aren’t allowed to make decisions. I just...really hoped that they’d show. I mean, I don’t know whether or not I should keep hoping that they’re out there or start trying to cope with the fact that they might be dead.” 

Clarke was silent for a moment, listening to Lexa say the things that she had been thinking for a few days now. 

“I feel like we’re in the same boat. I don’t know whether or not to keep thinking that my mother and my friends are alive, or to start considering other possibilities. I mean, there was no one else but Finn in town when I woke up, and it was pretty heavily overrun. But my mom’s smart, so I can’t imagine that she would just go that quickly, but then again, she might have been trying to stay with me. God, Lex, what if she was still awake in that hospital, and I just left her there? Left her there with those- those,  _ monsters _ !” 

Feeling herself beginning to spiral, Clarke was incredibly grateful for the grounding hand that Lexa placed on her knee. 

“Clarke, I don’t know your mother very well, or at all really, but didn’t you tell me that the waiting area was blocked off? As in, you were stuck on one side? And if your mother is as smart as you say she is, I highly doubt she would have stayed with you in a hospital with all the ghouls. My best guess is she would have taken you somewhere else, or to a room at the very least.” 

They were all good points, but Clarke was unsure of Lexa’s endpoint, “So...you think she’s one of them?” 

Lexa thought for a moment, “I can’t know anything for sure, but I don’t think so. I think she must have just gotten separated from you. Not to be too morbid or anything, but I think you would have run into... _ other her _ if you two were both in the same room or nearby. Even if the room was partially collapsed.” 

“Okay, I mean, we can’t know for sure, but it’s probably healthier to hope, albeit minimally.”

Reaching out to pet Jake when he walked over, Lexa said, “Probably. While I’m not normally one to get my hopes up in times like this. I think it’s going to be really hard to keep our spirits up there if we don’t look towards something. So as long as you don’t obsess over it and get too hopeful I think it’s good that you continue on with the mindset that everyone’s okay.” Her eyes were staring blankly at the wall in front of them, her hand running absentmindedly over Jake’s fur. “That’s what I’m trying to do anyway. I just hope if things turn out to be less than ideal, it doesn’t hurt as hard as the first time, because I’ll have always known it was a possibility.” 

“What do you mean?” The blonde eyed the other girl worriedly. Lexa hadn’t mentioned much about what she had been witness to so far, but Clarke was getting the impression she wasn’t the only one who had been visually and emotionally scarred.

Shaking her head a little, Lexa answered, “Know how you told me about your dad? Let’s just say I had to witness someone I cared about go through the same thing, except there was a lot less space between us and I was around long enough to witness the  _ entire _ ...transformation.” 

Clarke shuddered, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” 

“I-...yeah.” Lexa shifted, a heavy weight seemed to be pushing down on her, “Your friends, you mentioned them earlier, tell me about them? After hearing you talk about your parents, it seems to cheer you up a little when you tell happy stories about those you care about, like how you told me about when your dad taught you to ride a bike, or when your mother brought a real brain to your sixth-grade show and tell.” 

Despite the growing pools of water in her eyes, Clarke smiled a little. Lexa was right, it did make her happy, and a little sad, to share memories. “Well, there’s Wells, I’ve known him since before I could spell my own name, and Raven, Monty and Jasper, Bellamy and Octavia...I think it would be interesting for you to meet all of them. They’re all so...different from you.” 

“How so?” Lexa asked with a smile. 

Clarke thought about her friends, the last time they had all hung out, the last thing she said to each of them. “Well, Wells is quiet and kind, he’s always a voice of reason. Raven and Octavia are like loose cannons when they’re together, but unlike Raven, Octavia isn’t quite as intense when she's by herself. Octavia is younger than all of me, and Bellamy is her older brother. He and Wells are both a year older, and Raven and I are the same age.” Smiling fondly, Clarke continued, “Bellamy is like the strict older brother of everyone in the group, but he’ll do anything for anyone he cares about. Raven isn’t someone you want to go to to talk about anything serious, but she’ll definitely make you laugh and feel better. Octavia, however, will listen and offer a hug no matter the time of day, and you can be sure she’ll take whatever you tell her to the grave.” 

“I suppose it’s only fair I tell you about my group then,” Clarke wanted to tell Lexa that she didn’t have to, that she was free to keep her secrets, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious. “No, no, you’ve told me so much, and yet I still want to keep my secrets.” Shifting so that she was more comfortable, Lexa leaned her head back on the seat of the couch by Clarke’s right leg. “My “group” consists of my cousins, Anya and Lincoln, Echo, Kev, Brock, Titus, Lilly, and Lou.

“My aunt Indra and Uncle Gus were also with us, as were a few of our significant others.I believe Anya was the sniper who shot that Finn guy in the head, unless there’s another sniper in the area, but I just have this...feeling. Also, I hadn’t mentioned it before, but my parents died last year in a car crash. But, at least that means they didn’t have to go through all this, however, I still worry I might encounter them...well, the  _ other  _ versions of them, out there. I know for a fact that out of the fourteen of us, at least three are dead. My...girlfriend at the time was one of them.”

Clarke instantly felt mad at herself for the streak of jealousy that overcame her at the mention of Lexa’s past relationship. 

“What...what was her name?” She made herself ask. 

Smiling wistfully, Lexa replied, “Costia. I-... Anya and Lincoln, my two cousins, they...didn’t like her. Hated her, actually.”

For a while, Clarke waited for her to say something more, but it seemed the brunette had reached her limit for sharing. 

“Let’s pack tonight and plan to leave early tomorrow morning.” 

Clarke thought about what time Lexa had gotten up previous mornings, “...how  _ early _ , exactly?” 

With a wicked smile Lexa answered, “Before the sun.” 

Letting her head fall back with a soft *thump* on the armrest, Clarke groaned over Lexa’s small laugh. “UUUGGGHHHH!” 

Shoving the extra clothes Lexa had given her into a backpack Lexa had also given her, Clarke side-eyed the duffel bag she had been using previously. While the item held some value to her now, Lexa had insisted that she switch to a backpack, as it would be easier to move with. However, unable to part with the bag, Clarke carefully folded and crammed it into the pack with the rest of her stuff. 

A soft knock on the doorframe alerted Clarke to Lexa’s presence. 

“All packed?” 

Clarke went through her mental checklist, “Yep, I think so. How about you?” 

Leaning on the doorframe, Clarke’s eyes were drawn to Lexa’s sinfully long legs. “I was planning on making a quick trip out to my little cabin tomorrow morning to see if there was anything personal I wanted from there. I didn’t keep much in my bedroom here.” 

“Were you planning on going by yourself? If you can wait just a little longer we can both go and then leave here? You shouldn’t be out in the woods in the dark by yourself.” Clarke said, concerned. 

Coming into the room, Lexa produced a hip holster from seemingly nowhere, “Thanks. I just wasn’t sure you would want to go deeper into the woods than necessary. I appreciate it.” 

Clarke looked at the holster, all the straps and buckles looked more complicated than the blonde deemed necessary. “Uh...how do I put this on?”   
“Here, let me.” 

What the blonde hadn’t been expecting was for Lexa to kneel down onto the floor in front of her, and gently grab her left thigh. “Wear it on your left leg, since you’re a lefty, you freak of nature you.: 

Clarke heard the jest but was too caught up in the feeling of Lexa’s delicately slender fingers on her leg. 

There were a few snaps as Lexa tightened the straps and snapped the buckles into place. “Uh...Clarke?” 

“Wh-huh?” Clarke asked, shaking her head as her cheeks warmed. 

Smiling devilishly, Lexa said, “I asked if this was too tight, also, sorry for my earlier joke. There’s nothing wrong with being a lefty, it just makes you special.” 

“I-no that’s not too tight. And I wasn’t offended...just...distracted…”

Heated green met deep blue and for a moment, Clarke could almost  _ feel  _ the energy between them. The heat, the drive, the  _ desire _ . 

Then Lexa cleared her throat-adorably-and stood up. “Well, goodnight Clarke.” 

As she turned to leave, the blonde pulled herself out of her stupor, and hastily grabbed the brunette’s hand, “Lexa wait.” 

At first, Clarke feared she was about to be judo flipped as the other girl tensed and dropped slightly into a protective fighting stance, then she loosened up and smiled, “Yes, Clarke?” 

“Will you...can you...I mean-” 

“Clarke.” 

“Well, it’s just every other night...a-and only if you wan-” 

“ _ Klark _ .” 

Clarke felt chills throughout her entire body at the way Lexa said her name then. “What? How-was that a different language?” 

Smirking, “Yes, in a way. My squad and I use it as a form to speak without giving away anything to the enemy. However, I believe there was something you were attempting to ask me?” 

If the blonde hadn’t been so flustered by the way the other girl said “attempting,” she might have been offended. “I-..can you stay? Will...will you stay? The night. With me?” 

Lexa paused, then turned the rest of her body away from the door, “Okay.” 

“Okay?” 

Shaking her head and nodding, “Okay.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't get enough of me? DM me on insta @theoneandonlymegan (please specify that you're from AO so I know to answer!) add me on snap @coppertop0_o and if you REALLY wanna see something (more like break your ears but...) I do covers on YouTube, here's the link to my channel 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTK6rroew4DHy5vvWBAF7kw


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little glimpse at the badass Clarke is becoming, some Lexa being a heroic ass, and Jake being adorable, as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHH this first semester is almost over! 2020 is coming to an end....who's looking forward to 2021? THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 10,000 HITS! It means the literal world to me that so many of you are reading this, and like it :) This chapter isn't super long, but I may have a somethin'-somethin' *cough* cliffhanger *cough* for you at the end ;) 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy! Thank you so much for reading <3, and As Always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below!

Clarke felt like she was stomping through the woods. Was she stomping? No, no she wasn’t...but why the  _ hell  _ was she  _ so, damn, loud _ ? 

In front of her, Lexa stalked along with the finesse of a well-trained predator, the leaves basically  _ moving  _ around her feet, as if it was a great offense for them to be in her way. And by her side Jake easily loped along, barely making a sound even though he jumped in almost every pile of leaves that they came across. 

But it’s not like any of that mattered.  _ No,  _ Clarke thought,  _ I’m making enough noise for the three of us combined!  _

Scowling, Clarke missed Lexa stopping in front of her, and ran right into her stiff back as a result. 

“Oops! Sorry Le-” 

“Shh!”

Not happy about being shushed, Clarke opened her mouth to no doubt retort something  _ slightly _ rude (but only slightly), when she promptly closed it again. There was a strange... _ rustle _ that seemed to be coming from a cluster of bushes off to their left five feet or so. Lexa was squinting at it, looking more confused and intrigued than anything, and though Jake was high alert, he wasn’t growling, so the blonde took her hand off of the butt of her gun and relaxed some. 

“It’s just an animal, c’mon, we’re almost there,” Lexa said, holstering a knife Clarke hadn’t seen her draw. 

They hadn’t been traveling long, but since they finished breakfast this morning the duo-*ahem*  _ trio _ (sorry Jake)-had been heading towards Lexa’s little off-site cabin in the woods. From there, it was yet to be determined, but Clarke had a few ideas in mind. Lexa had mentioned multiple safe houses set up that she wanted to rotate between, to keep them all stocked and in working order-Clarke had been thrilled to hear that a few even had animals with automated feed systems-but that they were free to stop at places along the way so long as they were careful. 

“Ah, here it is, home sweet home…” 

Clarke watched as Lexa stopped in front of the porch of a slightly run-down cabin. The wood was old and splintered, long since faded from brown to gray (grey? which version do you use? Comment below!) but looked cozy nonetheless. It was small, but had a chimney on each side, and two windows on either side of the front door. 

Though it certainly wasn’t  _ huge  _ the interior was much larger than Clarke had anticipated it to be, but that might have been due to the minimalistic choice of decoration. The main room of the cabin was an open living and kitchen area, and to the left was a door that Clarke assumed led to the bedroom. In the far right of the room was a fireplace, and above it hung a tv. The kitchen had a bar that separated it from the living area, which consisted of a couch, rug, and coffee table. 

“Did you really used to stay out here all by yourself?” Clarke asked, following Lexa as she entered the small...home? 

“Yeah, I’m a bit of a loner, believe it or not. And while my cousins liked to have parties in the basement I preferred it out here in the quiet by myself. 

Clarke stood in the entryway, taking in her surroundings and the new information about the other girl. Looking at the couch, it wasn’t hard to imagine Lexa curled up there, the lights dim, the TV on, and the fireplace lit. Curled up in her pajamas reading a book while some documentary droned on in the background. Furrowing her brows, Clarke wondered silently when she had learned so much about the other girl, but remembered the game of twenty questions that they had played over cards the other night. 

_ “Draw three.”  _

_ “Dammit!  _ Again! _ ” Though annoyed, Clarke drew three cards from the pile between them, “I swear you’re cheating…” _

_ Faking mock offense, Lexa smirked, “Me? No, I’m just  _ naturally  _ this amazing.”  _

Looking back on it, it had been the most relaxed Clarke had ever seen the brunette. 

_ “Okay, okay….what’s your favorite movie genre?”  _

_ Sliding the cards around in her hands, Lexa didn’t look up when she answered, “I prefer documentaries honestly, does that count?”  _

_ Clarke felt her face curling into an overexaggerated look of disgust, “Ew, what even  _ are  _ you? Because you surely can’t be human.” _

_ Lexa looked oddly stirred by her words, and shifted uncomfortably on the couch, “What’s your favorite hobby?”  _

_ “Drawing. Yours?”  _

_ “Reading.”  _

_ There was a silence that lapsed them, but only for a second before Clarke was calling, “Nerd. “  _

_ Lexa sighed, but there was a slight grin on her face as she muttered, “You’re insufferable,” before laying down her next card. “Draw six.”  _

_ “UUUUGGGGGHHHH, Lex!”  _

Already Jake was making himself at home, laying on the area rug while Lexa fiddled with the cabinets in the kitchen. 

“Feel free to wander around, not like there’s much to see. I’m just going to make sure a few things are still working and then we can head out. I’ll try not to take long.” 

Clarke waved her off, before wandering into what she assumed was the bedroom. Again, she was taken aback by the utter lack of personalization. Unlike the bigger manor they had come from, the cabin had virtually no pictures on the walls, no clutter on any of the tables or in any of the rooms. The only thing that pointed to the cabin had ever inhabited life were the  _ slightly  _ obsessive amount of candles and books that were scattered about the place and the singular picture on the nightstand. 

Walking over to it, Clarke picked it up and was surprised to see the face of a young girl. Not much older than herself or Lexa. She had honey streaked brown hair, smooth tan skin, and lively hazel eyes. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and the apples of her cheeks as she smiled into the camera, rows of perfectly straight, white teeth on display in between pink lips. 

She was beautiful. 

“Her name was Costia.” 

Clarke startled at the sudden voice behind her, her hand releasing the picture in her grasp. Squeezing her eyes shut, Clarke braced herself for the shatter that never came. Opening her eyes, Lexa was there in front of her, holding the picture a meer inch off the ground. It was a hard look to read, but Clarke swore she saw panic on the other girl’s face, an emotion she, until now, wasn’t sure the other girl even had, much less could express. 

“Sorry. Was?” 

“I-...yes. But...that’s a story for another time I’m afraid.” 

Clarke watched, a little awkwardly, as Lexa looked fondly down at the picture. Her green eyes were the softest Clarke had ever seen them as her thumb gently stroked the glass of the picture. Blinking quickly a few times, Lexa frowned angrily before putting the picture back down on the nightstand gently despite her sudden change in mood. 

“I’m sorry I-” 

“It’s fine.” 

Clarke was thankful for the flannel Lexa had given her before they left her family’s home. The seasons were changing, and the weather was getting colder. It seemed like just the other day the blonde had been complaining about being hot, and now here she was getting goosebumps from the slightly chilly gusts of wind that blew through the trees every once in a while. 

Jake’s low growl pulled her from her thoughts, and her hand instinctively reached for the pistol on her hip when she saw Lexa stiffly frozen with her dagger drawn. 

“Lex?” Clarke whispered, desperate to be aware of whatever it was that had set Lexa and Jake on edge. 

Inching closer without making a sound Lexa leaned closer to whisper directly into Clarke’s ear, the warmth of her breath making the blonde shiver. “There is a horde, to our left. If we’re lucky they’ll go around us…” 

They waited together in the silence until the sound of shuffling and groans lit up the silence around them. 

“I can’t tell how many. We can either stay and fight, or run.” Pointing to her right, Lexa continued, “If we go that way, there’s another town after about seven or eight miles of woods.” 

Her stomach churned, “I can’t run that far.” 

“Then we fight.” 

“I’m not so sure that I can do that either-” 

But it was too late. The first of the zombies were upon them, their boney fingers reaching for them. Their uneven jaws snapped, and the smell of rotting flesh and earth filled Clarke’s nose. 

Without any hesitation Lexa was moving, her sword lopping the heads off of the two zombies nearest them while Jake jumped and tackled a third. For a moment, the blonde was frozen in fear, before Lexa’s shout of her name broke her revere and suddenly the gun she was holding was firing at the ghoul nearest her. 

Her first shot missed and she was mildly afraid she had hit Lexa but didn’t have the time to dwell on it before she was firing again. This time her shot hit its mark and the ghoul stumbled as the bullet embedded itself into his forehead. 

“Nice shot Clarke!” 

From the corner of her eye, Clarke could see Lexa twirling in a dance of blades and daggers, but the praise pulled a blush to her cheeks nonetheless. Jake snarled to her right, and the blonde turned just in time to fire two shots into the chest of another walker, this one had managed to get much closer to her than the last. Pivoting on her feet in the stance that Lexa had taught her, Clarke fired at three more walkers, hitting two in the abdomen and the third in the head. 

“Try and aim for their heads if you’re able!” Lexa shouted from somewhere behind her. 

It seemed as though there was an infinite number of them, and before long they found themselves surrounded. Already on the last few bullets of her second clip, Clarke turned to Lexa in a panic.

“There’s too many! What do we do?” 

Slashing another head off while pulling her gun with her free hand, Lexa fired once, re-holstered the weapon, and kicked another down before answering. 

“We can’t keep wasting ammo. I say we make a run for it!” Clarke gulped, firing her last shot. “If you can’t keep going, I’ll distract them and we’ll meet up later!” 

Before Clarke had a chance to say anything else, the brunette was grabbing her hand and running, pulling her along with her. 

Jake ran beside them, and Clarke got a distinct feeling that Lexa could run much faster than she was currently going. They must have ran close to two and a half miles, their noise only managing to draw more undead to their location when Clarke tripped over a particularly large branch and fell. 

In an instant, Lexa was helping her to her feet while Jake took out the few zombies that had somehow managed to keep pace with them. 

“L-Lex...I-...I c-can’t keep-...keep g-going,” she panted. While Clarke hadn’t been much of an athlete before all this, she wasn’t  _ un _ fit either, but the overall exhaustion of the last few weeks on top of their relentless sprint for the last few hours had her gasping for breath like a fish out of water. 

Lexa looked at her, then handed her the spare clip for her gun before drawing her sword and running back towards the hoard. As she approached them, she started yelling nonsense and poking them with the tip of her sword enough to draw their attention without killing them. She started jogging slowly so that they could keep up in the opposite direction they had been running. “Run Clarke! Keep going straight! You’ll reach a small town in another half hour or so!” 

“Wait! Lexa! No!” But the brunette was already gone. Hating herself instantly, Clarke sucked in a deep breath of air, ready to run after her, when Jake’s insistent pulling on her pant leg drew her attention to him. Whirling on him, she must have looked rather angry as Jake released her pant leg immediately and took a step or two back, lowering his head and ears slightly while emitting a soft whine. 

Dropping her shoulders and smoothing her brow, Clarke forced herself to take her inner anger out on herself, and not him. “Sorry boy, what is it?” 

He started dancing in place, whining while anxiously looking in the direction Lexa had indicated they go, and back at herself. 

“But I can’t just let Lexa go on by herself!” Clarke cried, her guilt starting to build. Moans started coming from behind her, and Clarke looked over her shoulder to see a few of the slowest undead stumbling along towards her. She reached for her knife but stopped short when Jake whined again. Turning to look at him, the blonde watched as the brown dog ran a little ways towards where Lexa had said there was a town, before coming back and pacing in front of her, only to start the process over again. Glancing at the walkers again, Clarke made her decision. While it pained her to do so, she pocketed her knife and turned to follow Jake. She felt immensely guilty for Lexa’s actions but trusted Jake and the other girl to the point that it scared her. As she began to jog after Jake, having faith that his nose would lead the way, Clarke reasoned with herself that Lexa would be fine. She was trained for this, she was a fighter. She would be fine. 

She  _ had  _ to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for the 10,000 hits, its a new high for me! Hugs from me to you, wherever you are! I hope you have a good day, I care about you XD


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some new POV, Clarke being a bit of a badass, and a little insight into Jake's backstory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, how ya doing? Thankyou for the continued support, I really appreciate all the comments and kudos. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like the chapter. As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! Side note: by now I'm hoping its no surprise to anyone that I did NOT proofread this. In fact, I literally booted up my laptop and just started typing and then copied and pasted it here soooo that being said, if you find any glaringly obvious or annoying errors or mistakes, please just leave a comment and I'll try and fix it. Thanks!

Just before she and Jake broke the treeline along the main road that lead into town, Clarke grabbed Jake by the scruff of his neck and pulled them down into the bushes. When he turned to look at her curiously she whispered, “Let’s not walk into town out in the open. We don’t know what kind of people may be hanging around here, dead or otherwise.” The dog blinked at her, then trotted along towards town while keeping to the bushes. As the blonde followed after him, it concerned her just how little it surprised her that Jake seemed to understand. 

***

From her place on the rooftop Anya peered down the scope of her barrel for what had to have been the nineteenth time  _ that hour _ , and nearly fell off the edge of the rooftop when she saw what looked like a figure in the bushes just outside the perimeter of town. 

“ _ Finally _ ,” she breathed, her grip tightening around the weapon in her hands, “Some fucking  _ action _ .” 

A walker stumbled out from the bushes and fell into the streets, hobbling on a stump where one of its legs used to be. As it crawled forward, rather pathetically in Anya’s opinion, another broke from the treeline behind it. Smirking, Anya lined up her shot, ready to take them out when more of the undead started breaking from the treeline. Within minutes, twenty or so of the ghouls were emerging from the trees and crowding the streets. “Well, fuck.” Looking over her shoulder, Anya quickly ran over to the door that lead to the roof access stairwell where she knew Lincoln would be waiting for his turn to take watch. Banging on the door with her fist, she shouted, “Linc, get the others ready to move, we got a small horde coming into town.” 

As she dashed back over to her place on the edge of roof, she heard the door swing open as Lincoln rushed to kneel by her side. Wordlessly he pulled out a pair of binoculars and eyed the oncoming threat. 

“Do you think we could take ‘em?” He asked, not once taking his eyes away from the oncoming ghouls. 

“Yeah but what’s the point? It’d just be a waste of ammo. They’re far enough away that we can slip outta town without drawing too much attention.” 

Lincoln nodded, “I’ll ready the others.” Pausing, he looked over at her, “Should we still head towards the house?” 

Uncertainty bubbled up in Anya’s stomach and not for the first time she wished her cousin was still with them. Anya was a survivor, not a leader. Where she could keep her wits about her even in the most dire of situations, she struggled when it came to making decisions for a group. Lexa, on the other hand, was a leader. She could analyse a situation and make a decision that would benefit the group. 

Turing her thoughts back to the situation at hand, Anya answered Lincoln, “Yeah...I guess?” 

His eyes softened, “I haven’t given up on her either, you know. But...Titus seems to be getting annoyed with us. So are Brock, Lilly, and Lou.”

Anya scowled, “Don’t they know that Lexa would be doing the same for any one of them?” 

Lincoln shrugged, never one to easily anger, “But you know Titus, he’s always been jealous that Lex was chosen to be the Commander when he has so many years on all of us. And Brock, he’s very easy to influence. Not to mention Lou is smitten with him, and you can’t have one twin without the other.” 

“C’mon, we’re wasting time up here while those things get closer.” 

They slipped from the building, guns aimed and footsteps light. Anya watched from the back of the group as Lincoln stopped them at the corner of a building with a rise of his closed fist. Behind her Lily tapped her on the shoulder, and Anya gratefully accepted the stick of gum the other girl handed her. “Thanks,” she whispered, seeing the other girl nod out of the corner of her eye.

As the group moved forward, slinking down the street, an awful stench made its way into the group’s noses. Screwing her face up in disgust, Anya lowered her gun slightly to look at the streets around them. Granted, they  _ were  _ in an ally, the putrid smell that impregnated the air around them was much more than just the awful stink of garbage and day old throw-up. 

“Hey Linc wai-” 

In an instant they were surrounded. A terrible scream sounded from behind her and Anya whirled around to see a ghoul sinking it’s yellow teeth into the skin between Lou’s neck and shoulder. Brock was frozen in shock behind her, his mouth hung open like a fish and his eyes wide and fearful. Lily was taking the butt of her gun and bashing in the forehead of the ghoul, screaming and crying her sister’s name uselessly. Before she had the opportunity to grab her knife, Kev raised his pistol and with one quick shot to the head the ghoul fell to the ground, dragging Lou down with it. 

Tuning into the noise around her, Anya looked up from the scene in front of her to see Titus spraying down the walkers that surged towards them. 

“We have to run! NOW!” she shouted, drawing her sword and slinging her rifle over her shoulder in one fluid, practiced motion. 

“Lou! Lou please!” Lily cried. 

Titus scowled, shoving a petrified Brock forwards until the boy shook his head and took off running towards Lincoln. “Foolish girl! She’s as good as dead! Now haul ass and let’s go!” 

For once Anya agreed with the older man. She gripped Kev’s shoulder as he ran by, reaching forward to pull Lily off of her sister while Titus provided cover fire. 

“Lily, we need to go,  _ now _ !” 

“B-but Lou!” 

Anya knew she would feel sick to her stomach later, but in the moment she knew what she needed to do to survive and she wasn’t about to die now. Grabbing the handgun from Lou’s fingers, she aimed the gun at the girl. 

Having not quite passed out from the pain yet, Lou looked up at her with wide eyes when she realized what was happening. “No! Please! It’s-it’s not so bad! I-I’m not gonna turn! It’s just-just a knick!” Titus was lowering his gun, his displeasure written all over his face. 

“Just do it dammit!” 

“Anya ples-” 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Anya fired once and them grabbed Lily’s wrist and sprinting down the street, Titus already having taken off ahead of them. Lily’s hand was limp in her’s, and when she glanced over her shoulder she found the other girl staring blankly at the dozen or so ghouls now crowding and blocking the view of her sister. 

Later, when they had all stopped running, Anya would raise her arm to wipe the sweat from her brow, and only manage to wipe away tears. 

***

Clarke took a deep breath, closing her eyes for only a moment before she rounded the corner and kicked open the door to the drugstore in front of her. Swinging her gun from one corner of the room to the other, Clarke let out a heavy sigh when she was convinced the room was clear. 

“Alright Jake, coasts clear.” 

Making their way inside, Clarke lowered her gun but still kept it drawn while Jake sniffed around the room. The shelves had been trashed, empty bottles strewn about the floor and the drawer to the cashregister hung from the machine behind the counter. Disgusted, Clarke made her way over to the counter.  _ Times like this and people are still looting places for money. What good is any of that now?  _

Jake’s quick bark drew her attention to the back of the store where he stood in front of a closed door. 

“What is it boy?” She asked, making her way over to the dog. 

The door was red and had a small window that looked to be made of bulletproof glass. On it’s red painted front was an “Employee's Only” sign, and Clarke tried the handle to find it-unsurprisingly-locked. Jake barked again and Clarke furrowed her brows. Pressing her face up to the glass, the blonde desperately tried to find what was inside that was causing Jake to bark. 

When a ghoulish hand slammed into the window shortly followed by a snapping set of teeth Clarke jumped back and raised her gun, slamming her back into the opposite wall of the hall. 

“AH!” Realizing that the thing wasn’t smart enough to unlock the door to get to her, Clarke sighed and deflated against the wall, lowering her gun, “Shit.” 

Jake looked back at her, cocking his head to the side and whimpering softly. 

“I’m sorry buddy, but that...that  _ thing _ isn’t human anymore.” 

Again, Jake whimpered softly, pawing at the door. Rolling her eyes, Clarke turned to walk back towards the front of the door when Jake growled and tugged on her pant leg. 

Shocked, Clarke looked down at the dog. Never before had the canine shown any sort of aggression towards her. Looking back up to the door, then down at Jake she swallowed. “Alright. We’ll find a way in.” Immediately Jake let go of her pant leg and started to wag his tail. “Yeah yeah, I suppose it’s only fair. You come with me wherever I want to go, I own you at least the same after all you’ve helped me.” 

Walking back around to the counter, Clarke eyed the space between the countertop and the plexiglass that hung above it to prevent people from taking medicines from behind the counter. Sighing, the blonde slipped her backpack off her shoulders and slipped it under the space until it landed behind the counter with a *fwump.* 

“Wait here,” Clarke instructed, bending forward and sliding her arms under the glass divider until her fingers could hook until the edge on the other side of the counter. Turning her head sideways, Clarke pushed off the ground with her feet and used her arms to pull herself through the opening. When she was far enough though that her feet were off the ground and stuck out straight behind her, the blonde paused to consider the best way to clear the rest of the counter. Stretching and slowly wiggling herself forwards in a rendition of an army crawl, Clarke moved so that the palms of her hands were flat on the ground and she was able to use her hands to walk her the rest of the way forward. Standing up, Clarke looked back through the divider and waved at Jake. He barked once before running back down the hallway towards the locked door. 

Moving away from the counter and back towards the shelves in the pack that were meant to hold prescriptions, Clarke found a key handing on a lanyard next to a white lab coat to the right of a desk. Grabbing the key off the hook, Clarke froze when a picture on the desk caught her eye. 

In a small framed photo there was a picture of a middle aged man with a bald head save for the sides, which were light brown with a few beginning strands of grey. He looked as though he were in his mid-thirties, and hand thick, black-rimmed glasses perched on his slightly pudgy face. Smiling, Clarke looked to the blurry lump he was holding in his arms. A small brown dog was frozen mid-wiggle as he struggled to lick the face of the man in the photo. Instantly, Clarke recognized the dog to be Jake. Thinking back to the ghoul in the backroom, Clarke felt her stomach turn for her furry friend.

Gently grabbing the picture and placing it into her backpack, Clarke continued on her journey towards the back of the work area, her unease increasing with every step she took towards the affronted room.

Sliding the key into the lock, Clarke turned until she heard the telltale click and stepped back from the door, drawing her gun up in front of her. 

Instantly the man was upon her, his hands reaching for her face. Letting out a scream, Clarke fired three times until the ghoul fell to the ground in front of her. Breathing heavy, Clarke took a moment to gather herself before making her way into the room. Unlocking the door that lead from the backroom into the hallway, Clarke let an excited Jake in with a grimace. 

“Sorry boy.” 

While Jake went over to examine the body, Clarke turned her gaze away from the dog and towards the messy desk on the other side of the room. The blonde was shocked to find all manner of test tubes, beakers, and notes strew about the room. Her eyes landed on a locked case that seemed to hold files in it. Ignoring it for now, the blonde picked up some of the scattered papers to skim over them. It was clear that whoever the man was, had been trying to find a cure. Under one stack of papers, the blonde found a notebook that was different from all the others. This one looked more personal, bound in leather and not spiral bound. Opening it, Clarke skimmed the first few pages and had to stop herself from throwing up when she realized it was a journal. The thought of reading the thoughts of the man she had just killed, regardless of whatever he had the misfortune of turning into, was sickening. 

Something soft and when bumped into her calf. Turning, Clarke found Jake nudging her with big, sad eyes, the locked case hanging from his mouth. Kneeling down, the blonde wrapped her arms around his scruffy neck, burying her face into his fur. 

“Aww, I’m sorry boy.” 

Jake seemed to understand, taking a step forward and dropping the case in favor of nuzzling his nose into the hair that fell onto her back. They stayed like that for a moment, crouched on the floor, until Jake began to pull back and Clarke let him go. Whining, Jake nudged the case with his nose and Clarke picked it up. It wasn’t the type of lock that she could pick, not that she knew how, but she put it into her bag regardless. 

“Alright, I won’t question you this time bud,” she said with a watery smile, reaching out to rub behind his ears before standing. Just for the sake of it, Clarke grabbed all the notes from the desk and stuffed them as neatly as she could into her bag. “Ready to get out of here?” 

Jake yipped once in reply, and turned back towards the door leading to the hallway. Clarke moved to follow him before a thought hit her. Turning around the blonde grabbed whatever medicines she could from the shelves behind the counter and then joined Jake in the hallway. Closing the door behind her, Clarke paused to look at the body unmoving on the floor behind her. 

“I’m sorry,” then, “I’ll take care of him.”

Shutting the door behind her, Clarke joined Jake in the front of the store by the exit. Together, the two left the building and continued their journey down the sidewalk until something cold and hard pressed into the back of Clarke’s head and a stern voice made her stop. 

“Hold it right there, blondie.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so how do we feel about getting a little Anya POV? I wasn't planning on there being any POV's besides Clarke, but I don't have an outline or anything for any of my fics and I just write from the hip and that's what came sooooo, yeah. Its snowing as I'm writing this, what's the weather like where you're at? 
> 
> -Megan <3


	11. Chapter 10 - Better Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-ho, this is most likely going to be the last thing I post before Christmas, so Merry Christmas Y'all! <3 I recently started watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and naturally I ADORA Catra and Adora (see what I did there? be honest, this is why you read my shit lmao, JK!) so would anyone be interested in that? LMK! By now, I'm sure everyone is well aware that this poor chapter WAS NOT reread, so...yeah, if you see somewhere where English has eluded me, comment and I'll fix it, THANKS! Thank you all for reading and sticking with this fic so far, it really means a lot! Now, As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! <3 
> 
> -Megan

Clarke froze, her heart pounding in her chest, from beside her Jake turned and growled. Unfortunately, her assailant didn’t budge. 

“Call off your mutt or I’ll shoot him too.” 

Swallowing, Clarke said, “Jake.” With a whine, Jake looked up at her in confusion, before backing up a little. Growing slightly annoyed, Clarke spat, “Alright, what do you want? If you’re going to kill me, then do it already.” 

With a tired sigh, her captor grabbed the gun from the holster on her hip along with her knife before ordering, “Turn around, slowly.” 

Doing as she was told with a scowl, Clarke slowly turned to find herself in front of a woman just a little older than herself. For some reason, though Clarke was certain she had never met her before, the other woman looked...familiar. 

The stranger’s narrow eyes widened in surprise, “You.” 

Confused, Clarke asked, “I’m sorry, have we met?”  _ God imagine this is how I find out I have memory loss from hitting my head. At gunpoint. Fuck, watch her be some psychotic hook-up or something. Shit.  _

“No, we haven’t.” The girl said bluntly, her face slipping into a blank state that Clarke found eerily reminiscent of someone else. “But, I saved your ass from an ass.” 

It was like a lightbulb went off in Clarke’s head as pieces started falling together, “Anya?”  _ Wow, Lexa was right about her being the sniper. Fuck, where  _ is  _ Lexa? God, I hope she’s alright… _

Narrowing her eyes, the other woman warily asked, “Maybe, who are you?” 

Sticking out her hand, which caused the other girl to raise her gun again, which caused Jake to growl Clarke said, “Clarke, Clarke Griffin. I met your cousin, Lexa. We were actually traveling together but...we got a little separated. She told me she’d meet me here, somewhere, in this town.” 

Anya looked at her open-mouthed, shock painted every feature of her countenance. From her high and narrow, feline-like eyes, to her angular cheekbones, and all the way down her to thin lips. “Lexa...she’s alive?” 

Even though Anya had been holding a gun to her just a moment ago, Clarke felt something in her soften slightly at the outright hope that colored Anya’s voice. “Yeah, she saved my life believe it or not.” 

Rolling her eyes, Anya turned serious again, “That sounds like Lexa, always did have a hero complex. But how do I know you’re not lying to me?” 

Though it annoyed her, Clarke knew the other girl  _ did  _ have a point, and after her own personal fiasco with Finn, she couldn’t blame her for wanting to be cautious. “You’re Lexa’s cousin, and you also share a cousin named Lincoln. The three of you lived in a huge house in Spencer together, but Lexa spent most of her time out in a little cabin in the woods. Your mother was rarely home, and you spent a lot of time with your aunt Indra-” 

Forcing her gun back into her hands with a scowl, Anya said, “Alright, alright. That’s enough blondie.” 

“Clarke,” the blonde snapped back, trying her best not to snark at the woman. 

“Same thing.” As Clarke opened her mouth to retort Anya smartly said, “What? You going to deny the  _ very  _ obvious color of your hair?” Snapping her mouth shut with a glare, Anya smirked, “Didn’t think so.” Turning to walk down the street, Anya threw a glance over her shoulder when Clarke didn’t immediately follow after. “You coming?” 

With a sigh, Clarke holstered her gun, “Why the hell not?” 

  
  


As they walked, Clarke tried processing how she felt about the other woman. While she and Lexa both seemed callous initially, Clarke was starting to see that Lexa just used that to seem tough. Anya, on the other hand, gave her the impression that she was always brash and a little rude. And though the brunette was toying with Clarke’s nerves to no end, there were certain things about the other woman that reminded her of Lexa that she was constantly reminded of their relation. 

For one, they both had long brown hair, though Lexa’s was darker and slightly curly while Anya’s seemed to have caramel highlights dyed into it. While they both had braids, Lexa’s appeared more complex and tight, while Anya’s seemed more relaxed and were simply a way to keep her hair out of her face. Both appeared to be lithe underneath military gear, and had similar weapons on various parts of their bodies. However, where Lexa had a red sash tied around one of her upper biceps, Anya did not. Most notably different, were their eyes. Lexa had the most brilliantly green eyes Clarke had ever seen, while Anya’s were so dark brown Clarke wasn’t entirely sure they weren’t black. Anya, while no doubt pretty, didn’t seem to hold a candle to Lexa in comparison.  _ But that’s just my opinion _ Thought Clarke. 

“So...are you alone?” Clarke asked, watching as Anya checked down the scope of her rifle. 

“No, I was actually with the rest of our squad-I’m sure Lexa’s mentioned them to you-when we were attacked by a horde. One of our members died and we had to flee. I got separated from the rest of the group when I stopped to make a distraction so the others could get away. We agreed to meet up at the town hall, which is where I’m headed now. How did you and Lexa get separated?” 

Clarke swallowed thickly. After having some time to think about it, she blamed Lexa’s unknown whereabouts on herself, “We were jumped by a horde, like your group, and she ran off with them to create a distraction so I could get away.” 

Anya hummed, “Well, did she say where to meet her?” 

“No,” Clarke laughed bitterly, “You don’t sound very surprised.” 

Shaking her head, Anya led them down a side street, “Told you, that damn girl has a hero complex.” 

Coming to a stop, Clarke looked up in front of her to see a white building that looked similar to a Grecian temple to the gods. Constructed entirely out of white marble and stone, the building in front of her gave Clarke the impression that she was getting ready to go to court instead of meet up with fellow survivors. 

Nudging her a little roughly with her elbow, Anya said, “Alright blondie. If you’re not who you say you are now is the time to reveal it. I don’t trust you, and I don’t like you, but if you waltz in there with me and it turns out you don’t know Lexa? Well, my team will have a field day, we’ve got a couple of unanswered questions about how one turns into an undead.” 

Clarke gulped. Though Anya seemed like the type to bark more often than she bit, she got the distinct impression she wasn’t bluffing. “And why haven’t you shot me yet? If I’m not to be trusted?” 

Anya walked up the steps backwards in front of her, the picture of a person unperturbed by the state of the world around them. “Well, for one, I didn’t wanna get bit by Cujo over there, and two,  _ you _ might be my only chance to see Lexa again.”

The blonde softened a little, “You really care about her, don’t you?” 

Rolling her eyes Anya turned and said, “C’mon.” Though her words were quieter and lacked the bite they’d had before, Clarke didn’t comment on it. 

  
  


The inside of the building really was like a temple. It was open and inscriptions covered the walls. All around them were different doors leading to different specialized offices, and one that said “Main.” 

“Alright, they should be around here som-” 

“Anya!” 

A male voice shouted from behind one of the columns that lined the room, as a figure emerged aiming a rifle. He was tall and well built. His head was shaved save for the stubble and goatee that he had neatly trimmed. “Anya watch out!” He shouted again. 

Gesturing with her hand, Anya stepped forward, walking past Clarke and completely unbothered about the weapon pointing in her general direction. “S’fine Linc, she’s a friend of Lexa’s.”  _ Ah, so he must be Lexa’s other cousin. His eyes are like Anya’s, dark. I wonder where Lexa got her green eyes from?  _

Immediately he dropped his gun and turned to Clarke with hope in his eyes and the blonde got the impression that he was actually far kinder than their initial meeting should have her believe. “She’s alive?” 

All around her, Clarke heard the sounds of weapons being lowered and she turned to see people emerging from various corners of the room. Slowly, they all made their way towards her, Anya, and Lincoln. 

“If she’s with Lexa, then where is the Commander now?” Someone asked. Clarke turned to find a young guy with a shaggy mop of curly, dark brown hair that fell into his milky blue eyes. He was short, about her height, and a little older. A few curly hairs sprouted from the bottom of his chin and his skin was a cream color possibly a little lighter than her own. To his right stood a taller guy, at least the tallest one of them there, who’s neon green dreads stood as a stark contrast to his bronzed skin. Unlike the serious demeanor of his friend, the taller individual seemed to be friendly if his actions were anything to go by. Sticking out his hand he said, “Hi, I’m Brock, nice to meet you. Please excuse my friend Kev here, he can be a bit of a prude. Blame it on the stick he keeps shoved up his ass.” 

Clarke chuckled despite herself, ignoring the dark look Kev shot Brock. Smiling, and opening his mouth to continue, he was stopped short when another voice cut in. 

“If she wishes not to get shot, I suggest she start talking,  _ now. _ ” 

Turning behind her, Clarke found herself facing a tall bald man with one of the flattest expressions she had ever seen. His angry expression was accompanied by the long scar that ran from the top of the right side of his head, diagonally across his face just missing the inner corner of his left eye. He was easily the oldest one of them there, enough so that he could be her father. 

“I-we were-,” Clarke sputtered, looking past the man to see Anya glowering at him. Somehow, knowing the other girl wasn’t fond of him either helped to ground her, reassure her. “We got separated when a horde attacked us. We agreed to meet up here, in this town. I was just leaving a pharmacy after I checked it for supplies when I ran into Anya.” 

Simply raising a brow, the man was clearly unimpressed. Before he got the chance to say anything more, however, Lincoln cut in. “Titus, give it a rest, would you? Even if she  _ didn’t  _ know Lexa, isn’t it our job, as military, to defend those who cannot defend themselves?” 

Her pride screamed at her to correct them, that she wasn’t  _ helpless _ , but in that moment Clarke bit her tongue and willed herself to save it for later.  _ It's not like I’m some defenseless creature lost in the big bad woods, damn! _

Though he was clearly displeased, the man, Titus, stopped pointing his gun at her, but notably did not put it away. Instead choosing to keep it lowered and ready to be fired at a moment’s notice. 

“So how are we going to find Lexa then? This town isn’t  _ huge  _ but it isn’t little either. And that’s assuming she survived however many of those... _ things _ attacked the two of you.” A new voice added to the conversation, and Clarke turned  _ yet again _ to find the speaker. This time, it was a girl, maybe a little older than herself with pin-straight blonde hair and pearly white skin. Her blue eyes were brighter than her own, and Clarke thought she might blow away if the wind blew too hard. She wasn’t short, but it was clear she was the shortest among them, except for maybe Clarke herself. The most striking thing about the girl, however, was the heavily pigmented eyeshadow that colored around the outside of her eyes, and the blue glittery star that was painted  _ or tattooed?  _ onto the outermost peak of her left cheek. Her eyeshadow was bright blue in the center and neon green at the corners of her eyes. 

Opening her mouth, Clarke quickly closed it again with a furrow of her brows when she realized she had  _ no idea  _ how to find Lexa. The thought of having lost the other girl, of never being able to see her again...Clarke felt like she was choking on something in her throat.  _ How? How can I feel so strongly for someone I just met? Maybe it’s just….really intense friendship. Yeah. That’s it. There’s no way I can be that head over heels for her already. And-and not that I should be! I mean, when has she ever even shown interest in me? I’m just getting my feelings all twisted up for nothing! That’s it, from here on out, Lexa is my  _ friend _ and my friend only.  _ After pondering that for a moment, Clarke quickly mentally tacked on  _ Unless she shows interest in me _ . 

“What if we did our cover signal?” the boy, Brock, asked.

Lincoln answered, “That’s meant more for close corner or over comm situations. While it’s a good idea- I just don’t think we’ll be able to make it loud enough for Lexa to notice without making too much noise.” 

“What if we split up and did different areas? That way we would be able to cover more ground and hopefully not draw too much attention?” 

Kev nodded towards the girl, “Good idea, Lily. I  _ was  _ going to suggest that it would be difficult for us to use the cover whistle without knowing at least what block Lexa was on.”  _ Lily.  _ Clarke filed the name away for later. 

“Only if we go in at  _ least  _ pairs of two,” Anya said firmly, crossing her arms. Lincoln looked like he wanted to say something, but when the two of them looked at each other, Clarke got the impression they were having a conversation in their heads. 

Titus,  _ finally _ , clipping his gun into the holder on his back said, “Well I think it would be incredibly stupid and unnecessarily reckless of us to split up at all.” Crossing his arms and frowning impossibly deeper as his brows stooped so low Clarke thought they would cover his eyes, Titus added, “In fact, I think it was stupid enough of us to wait around for Anya to show up, let alone talk to this...this  _ girl _ that  _ claims _ to know where Lexa it. Accept it, she’s dead and this girl is just trying to use us!” His voice grew in volume with the wildness of his accusation. 

Not being able to take it anymore, Clarke snapped, “What? So you’d rather just  _ leave  _ anyone behind if they couldn’t stay up your ass? You know, I bet that’s a pretty hard place to stay considering the stick you have shoved so far up it! If you went on with that mentality, of just  _ dropping  _ everyone who so much as got a few paces behind, you’d find yourself alone right quickly!” 

Titus stood silently glaring at her, his face a mixture of growing anger and surprise, and Clarke could practically hear the cartoon steam noise of steam rising and see the smoke coming out of his ears. Anya smirked at her, something akin to respect glinting deviously in her dark eyes, Lincoln looked at her with open-mouthed shock as did Brock while Lily snickered and Kev tried to hide his grin under his mop of hair. 

When it seemed Titus was about to explode, Anya cut in, mirth in her voice. “Alright, let’s hold a vote. Either we split up into pairs and look for Lexa, or we leave and  _ leave her behind. _ All those in favor of leaving?” 

Titus’ hand went up, and Brock looked to the older man who was glowering down at him. With slumped shoulders and a guiltily nervous expression, Brock slowly raised his hand too. 

“Simp,” Kev scoffed, “Coward,” Lily muttered. 

Anya looked disapprovingly at him, but said nothing. “All those in favor of getting our Commander back?” 

Almost unanimously Lincoln, Kev, Lily, and Anya all raised their hands. “Blondie?” 

Though she wanted to correct the overconfident brunette, Clarke said nothing whilst she raised her hand.   
“I’m in.” 

“Then it's settled,” Anya said, slinging her rifle over her shoulder, “Let’s split up and try to find her before it gets too dark.” 

Clarke tried not to grumble as she watched the last of the pairs leave the town hall. While Anya and Lincoln had both offered to be paired with her, Kev, Brock, and Titus had all voted that it would be best for her not to be alone with any one of them. Lily hadn’t voted. 

So, here the blonde stood, alone, watching as Anya and Kev’s backs disappeared around a corner. Already the sun was starting to set, and the blonde was reminded again of the changing seasons when a cold wintery wind blew through the mostly empty building. It had been during the last warm days of fall when Clarke’s father’s surgery had been scheduled, and by now winter was fast approaching. 

Trying to pass the time, Clarke decided to snoop through the various offices that lined the open hall. The first three she tried were locked, but the fourth swung open with the slightest touch to the handle. Looking down to Jake beside her, who only yipped excitedly in response, Clarke nodded before grabbing her gun and shouldering her way into the office. 

It was clear the place had been ransacked already, if the ornate wooden desk that had been pushed over in the center of the office was anything to go by. Walking over to it, Clarke began to try the doors while Jake sniffed around the room. Gunfire drew her attention away from the strange file in front of her, and the blonde whipped her head up to look out the door. With his head down low and hackles raised, Jake stalked towards the door, a low growl in his throat. 

“What is it, boy?” Clarke whispered. In the dim light of the room, Clarke could just make out the twitch of Jake’s ears before he dropped his attack stance and came back to her side. A few more shots rang out but they sounded further away, and Clarke assumed that whatever danger there may have been, it wasn’t near enough to them. 

Glancing back at the files in her hand, Clarke briefly flipped through them before deciding to shove them into her backpack on a whim. Beginning to flip through the contents of another drawer the blonde stopped when Jake barked for her attention. Coming over to crouch next to him, Clarke began to use her hands to clear away a pile of rubble that had been created when part of the roof collapsed, revealing the room on the floor above. 

Two brown paws soon joined her in her efforts and before Clarke knew it she was looking at the handle to a hidden bunker. 

“Jake, what do you think this is?” 

Lifting the handle, she abruptly dropped it in favor of jumping with a startled yelp when a voice called out behind her. “Clarke!” There were heavy sets of footsteps rushing towards the office she was in, “Clarke? Hey, Clarke, where are you?” 

“Dammit! See? She just sent us on a fucking goo-” Someone else began to reply when Lincoln popped his head into the room. 

“Oh hey Clarke, there you are. Lily and I are back.” Crossing the room to where she was, Lincoln crouched down next to her, letting Jake sniff his hand before gently rubbing behind his ears. “Hey, what’d you two find?” He asked. 

“I think it’s some kind of bunker or floor safe,” she replied as Lily joined them. 

Crossing her arms, Lily stood above them, “Did you hear the gunshots here?” 

Looking up to her, Clarke asked, “You mean that wasn’t you guys?” 

Shaking his head, Lincoln dusted off the hatch, “Nope, wasn’t us. But we came running as soon as we heard it. Last thing we wanted was for you to get attacked by a horde or something all by yourself.” 

Crossing her arms with a glare, the blonde snipped, “I’m not helpless, you know. I have Jake and Lexa taught me how to defend myself as well as use a gun.” 

While Lily looked a little surprised, whether by her comment or the fact that she wasn’t completely useless, Clarke couldn’t tell, but Lincoln smirked at her devilishly. 

“She taught you how to fight, huh? Just how long were the two of you  _ together _ anyway?”

Her blush must have been bright enough to light up the room around them, Clarke was saved by Anya and Kev returning. 

“Fuck! Nobody’s here!” Someone-someone who sounded distinctly like Anya-grumbled. 

A calmer, more masculine voice replied, “Anya, c’mon, I’m sure she didn’t just-” 

“We’re in here guys!” Lily called, gesturing them into the office from the doorway. “Clarke found a secret door.” 

“Huh, guess you’re not useless after all, blondie,” Anya smirked. 

Growling, “For the last time, I’m not use-” 

“No sign of the Commander?” Kev asked, a slight frown on his lips. 

Lincoln hung his head, “No, Lily and I ran back when we heard gunfire.” 

Anya patted the rifle on her back, “We were the gunfire.” Clarke was slightly unsettled by how pleased Anya sounded about that fact. “Whole lot of ‘em. Might’ve been the ones we ran from the other day.” 

“Maybe they were the ones that attacked Lexa and I?” Clarke cut in. 

Kev crouched beside her, shining a flashlight onto the door in front of them, “Have you looked at what’s inside yet?” 

Shaking her head, Clarke grabbed the handle again, “No, not yet. Should we open it now?” 

Anya shrugged, looking unbothered as she scraped at something under her nails, “Sure, why the hell not, right?” 

Pulling up on the handle, Clarke stopped when Lily called out, “Wait! What-what if there’s like, a whole bunch of ghouls down there?” 

Kev furrowed his brow, “But, there could be like, weapons, or-or information down there too.” 

Lily began, “Well, we should probably-” 

“What you  _ should  _ do is keep your voices down. Brock and I were able to hear you before we were even halfway up the steps,” Titus said cooly. 

“Any sign of-” 

“Anya! Lincoln! Titus!  _ Clarke _ !” 

Clarke’s heart studded in her chest, she knew that voice. Before she was up and off the floor Jake was bolting out the door and tackling someone to the ground. They landed with an *oof* and a *thud* before he started showering their face in doggy kisses.

The group began filing out of the office to crowd around the pair on the floor. 

Anya was the first to speak, “Uh...Lex?” 

Flailing arms gently pushed Jake aside and Lexa sat up from her place on the ground. 

“ANYA!” 

Quicker than Clarke thought humanly possible, Lexa lep to her feet and shortened the gap between herself and Anya and pulled her cousin into a tight hug. Anya was frozen, with a look of clear shock on her face, Clarke mentally used this as an indicator that the other girl was not, in fact, a robot, before she hugged her cousin back just as fiercely.

With a girlish laugh, that seemed surprising coming from her, Lexa rushed to give Lincoln a hug too, “Linc!” He picked her up off the ground and spun in a circle, the two sharing enthusiasm.

Putting her down, Lincoln ruffled her already messy hair, “It’s good to see you too.” 

Clarke watched them with a small smile on her face. It was strange, seeing the three of them. Especially Anya who for all intents and purposes didn’t seem like the touchy-feely type. Not wanting to intrude, Clarke was content to just let the three of them be when Lexa rounded her gaze on her. Already wide excited green eyes grew impossibly bigger at the sight of her, and Clarke could feel her heart clench in her chest when the brunette smiled at her with all the hope and joy in the world. 

“Clarke?” She breathed, in utter disbelief. 

Giving a little wave, Clarke opened her mouth, “Hey, Le-” 

Then all the air was being rushed out of her lungs as Lexa pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever had. The room spun around her as Lexa twirled them, and only stopped when Clarke placed her hand gently on Lexa’s shoulder and mumbling something about getting sick. 

Placing her back on the ground, Lexa’s hands came to cup her jaw, her nimble fingers framing her face like she couldn’t believe she was real. 

“Clarke. I can’t-you’re okay? Are you alright? How...when?” 

The brunette’s eyes scanned her up and down, the concern only leaving her face when it was clear the blonde hadn’t sustained any noticeable injuries. 

“I’m okay Lex.” 

Lexa smiled at her brilliantly again, before pulling her back into a tight hug. 

“You sure?” 

Smiling and rolling her eyes like a schoolgirl, Clarke said around a grin, “Yes Lex, I’m  _ fine _ . And you?” 

Though she couldn’t see the other girl’s face, she could hear the smile there, “Better now.” 


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler with minimal thrillers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Year new chapter? Hey, sorry it's been a minute, the second semester of school started back up again, work is starting to get busier now that we've gotten more publicity, and I recently got a two (now three at the time of this update) month old puppy. So...I've been a little busy. This chapter was actually started right after I posted the last one, and I've just been adding little pieces here and there so if it doesn't flow super well it's probably because I was in completely different mindsets throughout the whole thing. That is to say, none of this is an excuse, just an explanation. This year has been supremely awful to me so far, 2020 was shit and so far 2021 hasn't been much different on my end. I hope this year has started better for all of you. Best wishes and as always thank you for reading. Reading your comments and seeing the number of hits after an update literally makes me smile and some people I know personally can't even do that. So really, thank you. Blah, that's enough mush for now, As always, Comments? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em down below! 
> 
> -M 
> 
> P.S you should know dang well by now that this chapter wasn't reread or edited

“Sooo, what now?” Lily asked, drawing out the syllables. Clarke felt Lexa reluctantly untangle their limbs before turning to look at the girl. Opening her mouth to reply, Lexa looked confusedly around the group and Clarke watched as Anya subtly shook her head. Shock flickered in Lexa’s wide green eyes before the emotion was wiped from her face. 

“Well, truthfully, I don’t know. I almost don’t feel qualified to be your leader anymore. We...don’t have a job to do now. If you want to leave, you’re free to. I won’t stop you, and I won’t be disappointed. If you want to go your own way, look for family, friends, loved ones...I won’t stop you. I, however, am going to try and figure out why all this is happening, try and restore humanity. And yes, I know I’m only one girl, and that is essentially a fool’s errand, but...I’ve got to try. So...any ideas of how I might do that?” 

Clarke thought Lexa looked incredibly young while managing to sound impossibly old. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and fatigue clung to the edges of her figure, and Clarke wondered how many nights she had laid awake asking herself that very question. 

“I...I’ve heard word that there is a group of people, a community of sorts up in DC. Trying to make a life for themselves, supposedly the government is involved and everything.” 

Anya raised her eyebrow in question, “And when did you hear word of this?” 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kev blushed, “One night when Brock and I were on watch a group of three or four girls came running down the road. They were only being chased by one rather slow walker but we took it down anyway. After sharing some...pleasantries, they told us where they were headed and asked us to come with. We of course didn’t go with them, but they said that’s where they were going.”

Angry now, Anya threw her arms exasperatedly into the air, moving into Kev’s space, “And you decided to share that just  _ now _ ?”

Both boys blushed, “Yeah...sorry?” 

Before launching into a rant, Anya was cut off by Lincoln and Clarke got the sense that he was the voice of reason to Anya’s fire. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. The important thing is we know  _ now _ so let’s do something about it. Do you think we could trust the information?” 

Kev shrugged, his cheeks still slightly flushed, “That was another reason we never said anything. It seemed really suspicious that they were only being chased by  _ one  _ walker, who was slow. They weren’t in any  _ serious  _ danger, so who’s to say they weren’t just trying to lure us into a trap so their group could kill us and take our supplies?” 

“True,” Lily added, crossing her arms before beginning to pace. Clarke noticed Lexa staring at the other girl’s hand, and when she followed her line of sight, caught the way Lily’s hand shook. Noticing her Commander’s gaze, the girl clenched her hand into a fist and tucked it under her elbow. “But...what other choice do we have? I mean, we can’t just fight these things  _ forever _ , at some point we’re going to run out of bullets, or luck, and that’ll be it. If...if there’s a possibility that we can find some sort of peace, someplace to call home in this wasteland...then I say we take it.” 

Brock nodded, stepping forward and placing his hand supportively on Lily’s shoulder, “I agree. I’m with you guys till the end, and I know you all know that...but I don’t want to fight forever. Or spend every night with one eye open and one hand on a gun.” 

“I’m with you there,” Lincoln added, nodding his head sharply once. 

Titus scoffed, harsh and annoyed, “Well  _ I  _ think you’re all being incredibly stupid. Hoping for something so childish, grow up. Even if there  _ was  _ some sort of Utopia in this hell how long is it going to last? And then what? Huh?” 

“I have to agree with him, it sounds too good to be true to me, “ Anya said, though she looked disgusted when Titus gave her an appreciative nod. 

Lincoln turned to Kev, “Kev?” 

His curly hair bobbed as he shrugged, “I...I say it’s worth a shot?” He looked around the group, before turning his attention solely to Lexa, “Commander?” 

Lexa’s chin tilted up ever so slightly and the hand that had been resting on her shoulder, keeping her close, gently fell away. The brunette seemed almost to change before her eyes and Clarke understood. She had been asked as the  _ Commander _ , not Lexa, and it seemed they were two distinctly different personalities. Briefly, Clarke wondered how their answers would differ, how Lexa thought and acted versus how the Commander did. She didn’t have long to ponder, however, before those piercing green eyes were focused on her. 

“Clarke?” 

The blonde felt her mouth open in shock. “Y-you’re asking me?”  _ Don’t fuck this up, don’t fuck this up, God Clarke don’t you fuck this up! _

Ever so slightly Lexa’s lip lifted in a brief smile, her eyes softening, “Yes. I trust your judgment, your  _ instinct _ . We’ve...we’ve been dealing with bad people for so long...ruddy situations that we’ve become... _ jaded _ , harsh, only seeing the bad in every situation and opportunity. You’ve shown me that not everyone is bad, and that it isn’t always bad to have a little faith. So, yes, I’m asking you because  _ you  _ are the one who can look at this situation with different eyes, a new perspective.” 

While Lexa’s eyes stayed boring into her own, Clarke quickly flitted hers around at the faces of everyone. Lily was squinting at her, like she had just noticed something about her for the first time. Kev and Brock were unchanged, while Titus bore a scowl so deep Clarke feared the lines on his forehead would remain permanent and the back of Lexa’s head would ignite. Lincoln was grinning between herself and Lexa, a knowing look on his face that the blonde would spend a few nights pondering, while Anya looked at Lexa with a raised brow and an amused smirk. 

“I…” Clarke began, looking back at Lexa who smiled encouragingly. Standing taller and willing her voice not to waver, Clarke said, “I say we go for it. I mean, we have to try, right? And I’d rather die trying than die knowing I never did anything.” 

Silence settled over the group before Lexa spoke, “Alright. Tomorrow morning we head for DC.” 

A hand clapped roughly onto her shoulder and the blonde jumped, turning to stare at Lily's perky face. “I  _ knew  _ I’d like you!” She laughed before turning to head off to where Kev and Brock were unrolling sleeping bags. 

Titus growled before stalking off to a corner where Clarke assumed he kept his bags, “Alexandria, a word?”

Lexa looked at her apologetically before following after the older man. Anya and Lincoln appeared at her side to take Lexa’s place. “C’mon Clarke, you can hang with us for a bit.” 

“Yes, I’m very curious to learn more about the girl that has my cousin so smitten already,” Anya added, tapping Clarke’s shoulder as she walked past. 

Lincoln nudged her kindly, in a friendly manner. “Ignore her, she’s been Lexa’s “big sister” for as long as I’ve known the two.” 

Together, they moved towards where Anya was, unzipping a black backpack and taking out a small foam roll. “So, you guys are the infamous Woods’ cousins, eh?” Clarke tried, the awkwardness seeming to only be affecting her. 

Chuckling, a deep rumbled that seemed more of a quiet purr in his chest than a laugh, Lincoln unfurled his own foam bedroll. “I don’t know if I’d go that far. But yes, that’s us. C’mon, I’m sure Lex’s told you all about us, let’s hear about  _ you _ .” 

Though Lincoln could have fooled her as just being friendly, the look Anya was giving her gave her the impression that this was some sort of test she needed to pass. 

“Well, my father was an engineer, and my mother was-is-a general surgeon. I-my father didn’t make it. I woke up and all this had been going on for a few days, then I ran into someone who I  _ thought _ was going to be a friend but ended up just trying to take what little supplies I had from me while I slept. That part Anya knows, then I started heading south, or west, I don’t really know, until I ran into Jake. Then the two of us ran into Lexa. She took us to you guys’ house and we stayed there for a little while, waiting for you guys to show up. When you hadn’t come after a week, we left for another one of Lexa’s safehouses.” 

Lincoln hummed, the humor gone from his expression, “Well, it really is very lucky of us to have all run into each other then.” Then he covered one of Clarke's hands in one of his larger ones, saying, “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about your dad, Clarke. Seems like everyone’s lost someone.” 

Clarke nodded, watching as Lexa listened to whatever Titus was saying to her. 

“Ugh, what do you think he’s chewing her out for this time?” Anya asked, the dislike clear in her voice. 

Appreciating the change in conversation, Clarke mentally thanked Anya as Lincoln’s attention shifted to his cousin and his squadmate. “I don’t know, a lot’s happened since we were all together.” He seemed lost in thought, his eyes faraway.

Shaking her head, surprised Clarke by directing her next sentence to her. “He’s always been bitter that Lex’s in charge of us. The only reason he’s her second in command is because I was assigned to be the group’s sniper. She takes it all in stride, but he’s constantly pumping the wrong message into her head. For as smart as she is, it’s the little stuff she let’s get to her.” 

Changing his sitting position next to her, Lincoln agreed. “Yeah, all that bullshit about how she always has to “suspect everyone” and “never trust your gut.”

Grimacing, Clarke asked, “Really? Sheesh, he sounds like a joy to be around.” 

Anya surprised her by barking out a laugh, “You got it blondie, he’s a real pain in the ass is what he is.” 

It was hours later before Lexa laid down on one of the blankets they had packed next to her. Though Clarke had been deep asleep, her subconscious had somehow known that Lexa was near and she sleepily remembers reaching a hand out to where she believed the other girl to be. Long fingers wrapped loosely around her hand, a thumb gently rubbing circles into her palm before fingers intertwined with her own. 

In the morning Clarke was surprised to learn she wasn’t the last one up, Brock apparently being the resident late sleeper of the group. They shared breakfast quietly, everyone having a granola bar the group pillaged from a gas station sometime while under Anya’s command. By 8:30, according to her father’s watch, they all packed their bags and started walking through town heading North towards DC. Lexa led the group, Lily at her side, with everyone else in pairs behind them. Since they had all joined forces, Clarke had noticed that Lily rarely left Lexa’s side, preferring to stay with her rather than join Brock and Kev who Clarke had learned from Lincoln were good friends of hers. Behind them, Brock and Kev walked side-by-side, Brock with his gun slung over his shoulder while Kev kept his at the ready. Clarke found herself walking beside Lincoln, while Anya and Titus kept up the rear. 

Whispering as to not be overhead, Clarke asked, “Why’s Anya walking with Titus? I got the impression they weren’t too fond of each other?” 

Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder, Lincoln slightly leaned down to answer, “Anya’s our sniper and Titus is our “heavy gunner.” Should we get attacked, from behind or the front, Anya’s at a disadvantage because her weapon isn’t meant for close range-not that that would stop her much, but still. Titus’ weapon has a wide spray up close, so he could in a sense cover fire for two people.” 

Though Clarke didn’t know much of, well, anything really about guns, she did understand that the very huge and scary types of guns, similar to the one Titus carried, did lots of damage, very quickly. She nodded her understanding, “Makes sense.” Trying-and failing-to keep the bitterness out of her voice, Clarke couldn’t stop herself from asking, “So what’s the story with Lexa and Lily?” 

“Huh?” His reaction surprised her, but she felt her annoyance come back tenfold when he looked towards the other girls then laughed. “ _ Oh. _ Nothing that you’re thinking about...well, maybe once but nothing, like, serious or anything.” 

Clarke was both surprised and embarrassed by the answer because  _ It’s not like she’s your girlfriend or anything. Plus, the past is the past, and so far Lexa’s been very open about that, telling you about Costia and everything. Get your head outta her panties, Griffin, and grow the hell up.  _

Though Clarke wasn’t sure how she felt about her subconscious, especially given how it sounded very similar to a wicked smart mechanic she knew, it did have a point. 

“What was that?” Lexa’s voice cut through the silence and Clarke looked to her in alarm  _ Fuck, did she hear me? _ The other girl had her rifle drawn, an arm out protectively in front of Lily, and Kev and Brock who had caught up with them. 

“I didn’t hear anything, did you?” Clarke whispered, looking to Lincoln in confusion. 

He already had his gun raised against his shoulder and was scanning the area around them. Mumbling quietly to her, he said, “No, but I trust Lex. If she said she heard something, then-” 

“Show yourself!” Lexa shouted, walking towards an ally to their right. “I know you’re there! And I know behind us your two friends are waiting for you to give the signal, so before anyone gets hurt why don’t you just come on out and you and I have a little chat?” 

When nothing happened, Clarke watched as Lexa reached into the darkness and pulled out a lanky boy. Dragging him by his collar, Clarke took in his appearance. Jake growled beside her. Unlike everyone else she had encountered, his clothes were nice and he looked to be well fed. There wasn’t any scruff of stubble on his chin and his shiny black hair was slicked back against his head. 

“The fuck? How’d you know I was there?” 

“Oh well, you see, I use my ears. These things on the side of my head? You have them too, but evidently, they don’t work very well since you didn’t come out earlier.”

He growled, then spat in her face. Jake took a defensive step towards her and Lexa’s eyes flashed. In an instant, she was holding him above the ground, though they were around the same height his feet were now suspended a few inches above the ground. 

“There’s two ways this can go, punk. Either you answer the questions I have to say and my friends and I let you go, or we see how many zombies the screams of your friends attract when I shoot you and let you hunt them down.” 

It scared Clarke that she couldn’t tell whether Lexa was bluffing or not. This was a side of her she hadn’t seen yet. Angry and harsh, cold and commanding.  _ Well, I guess now I know I can be attracted to and scared of someone at the same time.  _

“O-okay...what,” he gulped, seeming to forget the weapon in his hand, “What do you want to know?” 

A wicked smile crossed Lexa’s lips. A smile that a hungry wolf might give to a rabbit. “Why were you trying to ambush us? You’re clearly outnumbered, so you must be part of a bigger group. Am I wrong?” 

“No.” He said weakly, “We had orders.” 

Anya stepped forward, anger in the sharp lines of her face, “From who?” 

Lincoln and Titus came up from behind her, dragging a woman and another man with them. So focused on the scene in front of her, Clarke hadn’t even noticed Lincoln slip away from her side.

“A man.” At Anya’s rolled eyes and Lexa’s dark look he hurriedly continued, “N-named Cage. He said h-his father wanted you back. Wanted his property back.” 

“Commander?” Lily asked, a pistol aimed at the guy’s head. 

“And where are they? Cage and his father?” 

The girl, who was struggling against Lincoln’s careful hold on her, “The mountains! Fuck just let us go! C’mon Kyle, spill! The money isn’t worth it, dammit!” 

Lexa dropped the guy and he landed on his ass, backpedaling quickly only to be stopped when Jake growled behind him. 

“One last question, what do you know of the community in D.C.?” 

He shook his head quickly, “N-nothing! Nothing I swear!” 

“Don’t let me see you again, and if I do you’d better be on my side.” Again the boy could only furiously nod his head. Inclining her head, Lexa flatly ordered, “Go.” 

Behind her, Clarke heard Titus and Lincoln releasing their captors and in front of her the boy scampered up so quickly Clarke wasn’t sure how he hadn’t slipped on the gravel beneath their feet. 

As the three scampered off, Clarke sidled up to Lexa’s side. “Are you guys always so...intimidating?” 

Lexa looked at her, a strange going of darkness in her eyes. “Fear or be feared, Clarke.”

Clarke frowned, this didn’t seem like the same girl who would make her eggs and toast in the mornings. Before she could say anything, however, Anya walked up to them. 

“So, he didn’t know anything about this place, we still headed that way?” 

Shrugging, Lexa checked to make sure her weapons were still in place. “I don’t see why not, Ahn, it’s not like we really have anywhere else to go.” 

Nodding grimly, “Doesn’t mean I have to like it anymore.” 

The group resumed their journey, with Lexa and Lily in the front, but this time Clarke found herself next to Lincoln right behind them in the procession, with Anya and Titus behind them and Kev and Brock in the rear. Lincoln seemed content enough with everything that had happened so far and it shocked Clarke a little. She had pegged him as the pacifist of the group, the peacekeeper. 

“So...are you just, okay with how Lex and Anya handled that? You don’t seem like the kind of guy to let shit like that happen.” Clarke asked, trying-and failing-to hide her own discomfort. 

Lincoln looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, “I appreciate the high expectation of me, really, I do. But I’ve learned that sometimes you have to be a little rough to get what you want, or to do what needs to be done. I may not like it, and I know it bothers Lexa some too, but it's how you lead. You make the tough decisions so that others don’t have to. You do the dirty work and bask in the payoff.” 

Clarke frowned, “But I mean, wouldn’t it be better to try and make allies in a time like this than enemies?” 

The tall man thought on this for a moment, “Truthfully? I’m not sure. While I would like to believe that we as humans-living humans- should all ban together to put a stop to this I have already seen things to disprove that. Hell, just the first few weeks of this crap and we stopped so many fights in the streets, robberies, outright murder... it's insane what people will do when they think they can get away with it.” 

Thinking back to Finn Clarke thought there might be more truth to his words than she wanted to admit. 

“Alright, we’re at the edge of town, was there anyplace we wanted to try and search before we leave?” Lexa asked the group. 

Brock spoke up, “Yeah, there was a shoe place a block behind us and I need a new pair of boots.” 

Nodding, Lexa looked around, “Who else wants to go with him?” 

Lily moved forward, handing Lexa her pack while she put on her jacket, “I’ll go, I think there might be a clothes place next door and I should probably get some warmer stuff.” 

Lexa nodded once and then looked to Clarke, her voice considerably less “business” when she spoke to the other blonde, “Clarke? Anything you wanted or needed before we head out? It’ll be a hike before we cross the next town or city.” 

Clarke shook her head, then looked down to the dog by her side. “Maybe some dog food? I don’t know, something for Jake maybe.” 

The brunette smiled, “You and I can see what we can find. Okay, well, if anyone else wants to go anywhere I say let’s all try to meet back here by three? I want to get as far as we can from here before it gets too dark.” 

Everyone nodded or consented their approval before Lily and Brock took off one way while Lexa and Clarke when the other. Clarke also thought she saw Anya break away from the group, but didn’t feel the need to say anything to Lexa about it. 

“So, do you know if there’s like a pet store or a grocery store around here?” Clarke asked, trying to fill the silence that encased them with nothing but the gravel under their shoes. 

“No, I’m not certain but my other question is how do you plan to carry a fifty-pound bag of dog kibble? Or five-pounds of dog bones?” (For some people what I mean by “dog bones” would be like “biscuits” or “dinner biscuits” and we usually get them in big five-pound boxes. And like the dry kibble? We usually get that in like 50-60 pound bags) 

They walked together in silence for a little while longer, Jake sometimes padding ahead of them to sniff and something before running faithfully back to their sides. “Clarke.” 

Lexa’s voice was stiff, not stern, but definitely not the friendly easy tone the blonde was used to. “Uh, yeah?” 

Sighing, Lexa stopped and turned to her in the street, “What’s bothering you? Or, more specifically, what’s bothering you about this morning? I know I was probably more aggressive with those scouters than what you would have liked, but it’s just what I’m used to. And, I know that’s no excuse, but it’s how things are for me. I need to think quick and act quicker, and feel how I’ll feel about the situation later.” 

Clarke tried to see reason within herself and not just jump to annoyance. It was a trait of her mother’s, she knew. The two of them could start an argument over nothing in a second flat. Without her dad, Clarke wondered how they’d ever be able to stop. That is, if she ever saw either of them again. That thought sent a pang of sadness through the blonde’s chest. “I-while I’m not  _ happy  _ about it, I...I think I understand. With the quick thinking, I mean. And While I do wish you would give people more of a chance I understand that maybe I’m too forgiving. You were more prepared for this world than I was, and have been dealing with it for longer too. Just maybe next time you could be a little gentler?” 

Lexa ducked her head, the action causing the shadows to draw out on her long face. “I will try Clarke, but I will not promise you.” 

Deciding to be bold, Clarke reached out and grasped Lexa’s right bicep before she could think better of it, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “That’s all I could ask of you Lex, thank you.” 

Jake whined from the space between them, and it seemed to snap Lexa back into the present. “Right, we should probably get moving again.” 

After about an hour of mindlessly walking, poking their heads in shops when they thought there might be something good, they chanced across a grocery store. Immediately, Clarke got the creeps just looking at the place. The automatic doors were stuck open, and the lights were all out. From her place about ten or so feet away, Clarke could see the grime, trash, and blood clearly coating the floor. 

“I don’t know Lex, this place doesn’t look too good…” 

Lexa looked back at her over her shoulder, already having started walking towards the place. “Well, I don’t like the looks of it either, but I doubt dog food was on people’s priority list when they looted this place.” 

“Maybe but...Let’s just be careful? Please?” 

Lexa smirked, drawing her sword without a sound, “You’re telling that to me? I’m  _ always  _ careful. You on the other hand…” 

“Hey!” Clarke retorted, but the smile was already tugging at her lips.

Walking through the doors, Clarke felt as if she had entered someplace she shouldn’t have. The skin on her arms turned to gooseflesh and the little hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end. She felt as though eyes were on her, watching her every step.  _ One wrong step...one wrong move and it’s ‘Game Over’ Griff.  _

Silently, Lexa’s outstretched arm across her chest stopped her movements. “There’s...something behind the counter,” she whispered. “Wait here.” 

Before she could say otherwise, Lexa headed towards the checkout counter, knife held with the blade down and pointing back towards her. Pausing just next to the countertop, Clarke swore her heart stopped when a small black mass darted out from behind it. Immediately, Jake took off from beside her, and the two left the store and out onto the street. “Lex?” 

Lexa turned back towards her with a lopsided grin, “Just a cat, no worries.” 

After a moment Jake came trotting back into the store, and Clarke was slightly worried about the wellbeing of the cat but kept following Lexa further into the store anyway. 

“Hey, what about this?” Bending down, Lexa picked up a small box of dog bones and handed it to Clarke. “What do you think? There’s two more down here.” 

Clarke looked the box over, then realized that she was in the middle of an apocalypse and did she really have the option to be picky about dog food? “Great, these’ll be fine.” Lexa grabbed the two remaining boxes and together the two headed back towards the others with Jake as their escort.

It was another hour or so before Brock and Lily got back, both with what they had been searching for. Lily surprised Clarke with a navy puffer jacket claiming, ‘You needed something warm’ and that ‘It’ll go nice with your eyes.’ She also brought back a fleece for Anya, a beanie for Lexa and Lincoln, and scarves for Titus and Kev. 

“Thank you, it’s the perfect size and everything,” Clarke said, sliding her arms into the offered item. Lily only shrugged, turning to Lincoln with a grin. 

“How’s it fit your big head? You can’t deny the cold was starting to get to you, I saw the goosebumps.” 

Lincoln mumbled something in return but was too far away for Clarke to hear. Titus looked oddly like Uncle Fester from the Addams family when he put his scarf on, but Clarke didn’t  _ dare  _ say that out loud. 

“Ready to leave? Thanks again for the hat Lily, I appreciate it.” Lexa asked. Clarke turned to her and felt herself grow fuzzily warm at the sight. Lexa had pulled her army green knit hat down so that it just covered the tips of her ears and brushed the tops of her eyebrows. The little fuzzy ball of brown fur sewn to the top bobbed as she moved her head and Clarke knew she was grinning like an idiot.  _ But who wouldn’t? Someone looking that cute in a beanie should be illegal. _

“Yes, I vote we finally move our asses out of this town and get on with it,” Titus grumbled from the front of the group, having already started walking. 

Lexa shrugged, “Any objections?” When there were none she continued, “Alright then, let’s go.” 

By the time they stopped the moon was high in the sky and Clarke couldn’t see her own hand in front of her. They were alongside a road, and there was a cluster of trees off to their left, easily another mile or so. 

“Should we try and find a place to bunk down in the trees over there? I don’t like being out in the open like this…” Anya said, scanning the area around them in a circle with the scope of her gun to her eye. 

“I don’t like it either, and if there's leaves around us, we’ll be able to hear anything that comes at us,” Lexa added. 

“I know this is gonna sound stupid, but like, every time we go into wooded areas we get attacked or chased,” said Brock. 

Titus scoffed, “Don’t be a coward boy, you know damn well what happens to those who sit out in the open.” 

Brock looked to be remembering something, and whatever it was made him shudder, “Okay, yeah, I know. Look, I was just saying, okay?” 

Before an argument could start Lexa said, “Let’s just head over there and set up camp for the night. We can get some rest and start fresh in the morning. I’ll even take first watch.” 

Lincoln grunted, “First watch? Yeah right, we all know you’ll take all of ‘em.” 

Without a response, Lexa started up the road bank towards the trees. Hurrying to catch up, Clarke slowed down when she made it to Lexa’s side. “You’re not going to stay up all night, are you?” 

The other girl only shrugged, “we’ll see.” 

They deemed it too risky to start a fire, and instead just laid as close to each other as they felt comfortable, trying to keep warm. Titus, however, said the cold “didn’t bother him,” and slept a good ten feet away from everyone else. When Clarke looked to Lexa about it, Anya merely said, “Ignore him, he’s just being a hardass.” 

“Badass.” Titus piped up, and it took Clarke a moment to realize he was joking, “You meant to say Badass.” 

Lexa was scouting the perimeter, looking up trees and staring off into the distance. Anya flopped down onto her bedroll next to her, zipping herself up in her sleeping bag. “Don’t mind her, she’s just looking for her perch for the night, does it all the damn time. Perches in a tree and just sits there like a damn bat.” 

Clarke was shivering but didn’t want to curl huddle into her newly acquired sleeping bag just yet. “She’s not really going to sit up there all night, is she?” 

“Nah,” came Lily’s voice a few bags over, “When she finally sniffs her way back over here I’m telling her  _ I’m  _ taking the first watch.” 

Jake sat down next to her and Clarke began running her fingers through his soft brown fur. She watched fondly as his head moved to follow Lexa as she walked about the surrounding area. It was comforting for Clarke to know where the other girl was, even when she seemed to get absorbed by the darkness. 

After a couple more minutes, Lexa circled back around to them and sat next to Clarke, her hand automatically going to run circles onto Jake’s head. 

“Are you sure you want to take the first watch? I don’t mind, I’m not tired anyway.” Anya scoffed and the noise made Clarke jump slightly because she had assumed the other girl had gone to sleep already. 

“Just shut up and sleep already, you probably haven’t in days anyway.” Clarke frowned, looking to Lexa’s profile as she tried to convince Lily to let her stay up instead. The blonde wondered if Lexa had slept at all when she laid down next to her. If she had the same calming effect the brunette had on her. Selfishly, Clarke hoped that Lexa would give in to Lily’s demand, if only so that she herself could sleep with the other girl next to her. 

Sighing, Lexa said defeatedly, “Alright, alright. Fine. But wake me up in a few hours, or when you start to get tired. I don’t care if it’s only been a few minutes either. If you’re tired, just tell me.” 

Lily nodded, then went to go sit a little ways away from everyone. With another heavy sigh, Lexa laid down in her sleeping bag next to Clarke’s own. Jake laid down across both their legs with a grunt and almost instantly went to sleep. 

Turning to her with a little smile Lexa whispered into the darkness between them, “Well, guess I’m not going anywhere now.” 

“Yeah,” Clarke whispered back, still preoccupied with her thoughts. 

“Hey,” Lexa said, a little more loudly, “What’s wrong? Are you cold?” 

Clarke opened her mouth, then stopped herself. Saying instead, “Maybe a little.” Lexa sat up and unzipped their sleeping bags. Alarmed, Clarke sat up too, startling Jake away with a grunt. “Hey! I said I was cold, what’re you doing that for?” 

Without responding, Lexa got up and flipped Clarke’s sleeping back open, before draping her own over top. Zipping the two together, Lexa then slid back into their now larger and shared sleeping space, Jake nuzzling his way in behind her not soon after. 

Now there was almost no space between them, and without the darkness and the cool air of the night in the way, Clarke could feel the warmth radiating off Lexa in waves. Though she hadn’t been all that cold before, she was comfortably warm now. So, with Lexa at her front and Jake at her back Clarke could almost pretend she was back in her room, in her own bed under piles of blankets and pillows. 

“G’night Lex,” she mumbled sleepily. 

“Goodnight, Clarke,” Lexa whispered back. 

_ “Ew Griffin, really? You think  _ that  _ dress looks good? That looks like someone took a trash bag and cut some holes in it!” Octavia exclaimed.  _

_ Raven’s laugh echoed from inside her dressing room, “C’mon O, just because you’re a fucking weirdo who doesn’t like a good ole fashioned “Little Black Dress” doesn’t mean you have to hate on everyone who does!”  _

_ Clarke looked at herself in the mirror again, “No Raven, O might have a point for once. Wait till you get a look at this thing…”  _

_ “Thank you,” Octavia said smugly, crossing her arms and tilting her head back, closing her eyes with a satisfied smile. Then, “Wait.” With her eyes still closed, Clarke watched with amusement as Octavia’s face morphed into one of annoyance, her lips turning downward and her brows bunching up together. “For once?  _ Excuse me _ , but I make good points all the time! All the time!”  _

_ Raven came out laughing, and Clarke looked over the tight black spaghetti strap dress Raven had put on. It wasn’t shiny like her own, but more like cotton. Though it looked dull in Clarke’s opinion, the blonde couldn’t help but admit it looked damn fine on her friend. The color wasn’t the focal piece of the outfit, but it certainly made Raven’s skin and figure pop.  _

_ “Damn Reyes, how much for twenty minutes in one of these stalls?” Octavia joked, and Clarke had to hold back the laugh that threatened to bubble out when an older woman, maybe in her sixties, eyed her friends with disgust as she walked by, mumbling something about “the nasty youth these days.”  _

_ Raven pretended to check Octavia out in the sleek red dress she was wearing, “For you? Get me coffee later and we’ll call it even.”  _

_ As they walked out of the mall, Clarke was startled by the cold gust of wind that hit her face. The sun was out and shining brightly, but yet Clarke felt as though she were freezing.  _

_ “Griff? You good? Forget where we parked?” Octavia asked, confused.  _

_ Raven turned around and kept walking backward, “Come ooooonnnnnn Octavia’s buying us coffee remember! I’ve been  _ dying  _ to try that new Starbucks drink.”  _

_ Octavia looked back at the Latina, “What? That was a joke! And it wasn’t  _ both  _ of you! Dammit!”  _

_ The next thing she knew Clarke was in the drive-through lane at Starbucks and Raven was trying to get her order. “C’mon, we’re next in line and Octavia needs to know what you want so she can order.”  _

_ Clarke shook her head, looking around at the interior of the car before looking back at her friends in front of her, “Oh, uh, what are you guys getting?”  _

_ Raven rolled her eyes as Octavia said, “Iced-”  _

_ “Iced!” Clarke asked, “Isn’t it a little cold for that?”  _

_ This time, Octavia turned her attention away from the food on the menu to look at her with concern. “Cold? Clarke, it’s...90 degrees outside. Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird since we left the mall.”  _

_ “I…” Clarke sat forward, her hands on the edge of the seat only to reel back and look at the material beneath her. Instead of the black fabric she was used to of Octavia’s seats she was sitting on fur. “What the...hell?”  _

Clarke jolted awake, and Jake blearily lifted his head next to her. The space next to her was empty, except for Jake who had already gone back to sleep. “Lex?” she asked into the darkness. Looking ahead of her, she couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. The sleeping bag nearest her’s-Anya’s-was empty and abandoned and across the camp, Lily’s was also empty.  _ Where did they all go?  _

“Jake,” Clarke whispered, careful not to wake Lincoln who was snoring next to her, “Hey boy, wake up.” 

With a whine, Jake blinked at her, almost as if to ask, “Whaddya want, bitch?” 

“Can you find Lexa? Huh, where’s Lexa boy?” 

Stretching, Jake sniffed the air then set off at an easy walk. “C’mon, I thought I taught you how to walk quieter?” Came a disembodied voice from the dark ahead of her. Clarke jumped. 

“Jesus Lex! A little warning would have been nice!” The blonde protested, her heart still racing in her chest. 

Though she couldn’t see the other girl, Clarke could  _ hear  _ the frown in her voice, “You couldn’t see me? I can see you.” 

There was a *click* then a small beam of light illuminated the area in front of her. Sitting on the ground at the base of a tree was Lexa, Anya, and Lily on either side. Surprisingly, the other two girls were asleep. Lexa was sat with her knees up in front of her, her cheeks rosy and fingertips slow. Lily was curled around her left arm, head buried into the collar of her jacket, and knees bunched up to her chest. Anya was leaning on Lexa’s right shoulder, head tilted back into the crook of her neck with her arms crossed in front of her. 

“Um, what...why are you all out here?” Clarke finally asked. She  _ wanted  _ to ask why the three were all close and personal but figured that would be crossing a line somehow. 

“Lily took first watch, then when Anya got up to take over for her I did too. We were all just talking, catching up when they just...fell asleep.” 

Clarke couldn’t detect an ounce of insincerity in her voice, something in her wanted to call foul.  _ But what right do you have to do that?  _

“Aren’t you guys cold?” Clarke asked, curling in tighter around herself as she spoke. 

Lexa looked like she was about to shrug, before glancing at her shoulders and the people there. “I’m alright, covered in people and all. Anya grew up in the cold, so she’s probably having some of the best sleep in her life. Lily is most likely freezing, she grew up in the heat so I can only imagine how cold she was in her sleeping bag by herself.” The blonde felt a little guilty but still couldn’t find it within herself to just accept the scene in front of her. Then Lexa cocked an eyebrow, a wiry grin on her lips, “And what about you, Clarke? Are you cold? What are you doing up at this hour anyway?” 

Despite the cold, Clarke felt her face heat. “You were gone, I was concerned.”  _ She doesn’t need to know that you missed her. _

“Well I’m fine, thank you for looking for me though.” The brunette smiled and opened her legs up a little further, “Wanna join the dogpile and wait for the sunrise?” 

Though the blonde couldn’t help but feel awkward with Anya and Lily also present for what she would have called an “intimate” moment, she also couldn’t help but feel that maybe she was reading too much into the situation. Lexa had unzipped her jacket, and having Lexa’s warm front pressed against her back was a welcome comfort. The brunette also had her arms clasped on Clarke’s stomach, her arms covering her own. Though she was still cold in the early morning air, being with Lexa, like this made her heart warm. And for that, Clarke thought that she could maybe sit in the dark for a thousand freezing mornings, and never once grow cold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again sorry about the wait (see before chapter notes) but hope the long-ish chapter made up for it?


End file.
